PSC urges Caricom to re-evaluate CPSO

…following Organisation’s visit to Guyana, snubbing of local Private Sector

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has condemned the recent visit of the Caricom Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) to Guyana, during which it did not even seek to meet with the local Private Sector and urged the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to re-evaluate the function of the Organisation.

CPSO officials recently met with President Dr Irfaan Ali. However, these officials did not attempt to meet with the PSC or any other affiliated organisation and while they commended the President for meeting the CPSO, the organisation caught flak for failing to engage them.
“While the PSC welcomes this high-level meeting and commends His Excellency, the President for his usual hands-on approach on these matters, the PSC, nonetheless, wishes to register its profound and unreserved disappointment at the CPSO for their failure to engage the PSC, which is the apex Private Sector body in Guyana, or any of the Private Sector bodies in Guyana.

“As such, the PSC condemns in the harshest possible tone, the gross and egregious exhibition of disrespect for the local Private Sector in general, on the part of the CPSO,” the PSC said in its statement.
It pointed out that the CPSO’s lack of engagement with Guyana’s Private Sector dates back to even when several rounds of consultations were being done for the Local Content Act last year. The PSC noted that despite these consultations going on for more than a year, the CPSO never made any contribution to the debate.
“At no point during this period, did the CPSO seek to engage the Guyana Private Sector and at least participate in the consultations in shaping the Local Content Act. They had the option of engaging with the local Private Sector at any time and or submitting any written submissions on their take as regards the Local Content Act at the time, to the relevant authorities. Evidently, they (the CPSO) did neither of this,” the PSC said.
It was pointed out by the PSC that there were still questions regarding the legitimacy of the CPSO and this was highlighted when several Private Sector bodies engaged with the Caricom Secretariat in Georgetown and met with the Caricom Secretary General.
“At that meeting, questions surrounding the legitimacy of the CPSO were highlighted with respect to the institutional composition of the CPSO and its mandate versus the intended institutional composition of the CPSO in terms of how it ought to be and function in the true spirit of the [Revised] Treaty [of Chaguaramas].”
According to the PSC, the membership of the CPSO comprises Private Sector entities operating in the Caricom space, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The CPSO is currently being chaired by the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Trinidad-based conglomerate.
“It is worthwhile to note that the current institutional composition of the CPSO is not reflective of the entire Private Sector of Caricom. Rather, a few large regional conglomerates have arguably hijacked and dominated the CPSO and by virtue of so doing, are unequivocally and predominantly advancing their individual and collective agenda, while marginalising and excluding the wider Private Sector of Caricom.”
“To further substantiate our claims, in our meeting with the Caricom Secretary General, she admitted that not only Guyana’s Private Sector, but she has also received complaints from other organizations outside of Guyana – that is, in other Caricom countries that they have not been engaged to have their interests represented at the CPSO level,” the PSC said.
In view of all these red flags, as well as the fact that the CPSO has been attending meetings of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) when this should be the function of Governments, the PSC urged that a review of CPSO be done by Caricom.
“Against these backgrounds, the Private Sector Commission of Guyana wishes to call upon CARICOM once again and by extension the Caricom leadership to re-evaluate the CPSO, its membership composition, institutional structure, and whether in the current dispensation it is genuinely seeking to achieve its mandate in the correct, intended framework and to have the entire Private Sector of Caricom represented.
“To these ends, the PSC strongly recommends that the CPSO get its house in order and put in place a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan with the wider Private Sector of Caricom and not just Guyana, with the view of ensuring the wider memberships of Private Sector are adequately represented at the CPSO level so that it can truly achieve its mandate of regional integration, etc,” PSC further explained.