Dear Editor,
I’ve been following the 2023 budget debates over the past week, and I must say the Government has stood firm and made clear many of its planned projects for the year. Plans for housing, health care, and infrastructure have all argued well for a country that is well on its way to being a developed nation.
Although we have a lot to accomplish before we can be considered a developed nation, the Government seems to understand what it takes to get there.
I must say I was happy to hear about the plans for the agriculture sector, more so the announcement about the Rose Hall Estate’s much-anticipated reopening, which is slated for some time this year. When the Government was on the campaign trail leading up to the 2020 elections, it promised that estates closed by the previous Government will be reopened should they be elected. This Government was elected, and has been making significant budgetary allocations to get to where we are today.
According to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, some 1,700 of the 7,000 workers who were callously fired when the then Government closed several estates have since been rehired. This news of the highly anticipated reopening of the Rose Hall Estate before the end of 2023 will not only bring the Government closer to its goal of “revitalising” the industry, but also to satisfy another campaign promise and restore the village economy.
Minister Mustapha’s presentation was very informative, and served as a good reminder of some of the promises, which can now be referred to as deceptive tactics made by the APNU+AFC Government while they were on the campaign trail in 2015.
When he spoke about Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan’s remarks at Whim back in 2015, I almost immediately searched for a video of that rally. Lo and behold, there was Mr. Ramjattan on a stage referring to sugar as one of the industries that are the foundation of the economy. He went on to say that the coalition had no intention of closing the sugar industry in any way.
I mention that to draw a comparison to promises made by both parties while contesting national and regional elections at two different times. What’s the difference, you ask? While both promised to support sugar, only one is holding fast to its promise, which speaks volumes.
The reopening of the Rose Hall Estate is monumental, and I applaud the Government for this. Minister Mustapha has been working assiduously to ensure this happens, and should be recognised and complimented for guiding these efforts.
Like so many other Guyanese, I anxiously await the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate.
Yours sincerely,
Ayube Bacchus
