Dear Editor,
Reference is made to an article published on March 4, 2017, in another section of the media titled “Sugar’s future to be considered by National Assembly” which speaks to a “white paper” or plan for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to be presented to Parliament. Editor, this is pure political theatrics being displayed by Government because a plan for the Corporation is in implementation stage at this moment. The plan being implemented was formulated by GuySuCo’s CEO and fittingly nicknamed by GuySuCo’s Chairman, the “Errol Hanoman’s scalpel”. Essentially, it is to shrink GuySuCo to a produce of 150,000 tonnes sugar per annum, divest Skeldon and grow other crops and rear livestock at Wales, East Demerara and Rose Hall Estates. This is exactly what is being implemented at this moment and GuySuCo’s ceremonial Board of Directors is charged with monitoring the progress of the implementation of the plan.
From announcements made by GuySuCo, GAWU, Government and the Opposition, and from daily realities, it is confirmed that Hanoman’s scalpel is fully at work. His scalped has already sliced the livelihoods of 1700 employees and 850 cane farmers at Wales and is being sharpened to slit another 3500 to 4000 livelihoods at East Demerara and Rose Hall Estates. While my fellow citizens of Wales are faced with a survival crisis and a similar one looms for East Demerara and Rose Hall, GuySuCo’s CEO pocked approximately .2 million per month in salary plus other benefits. In just 20 months of his management, GuySuCo’s CEO delivered to Government (1) lowest annual production in 25 years; (2) a high-cost executive team from the Jurassic era; (3) increased unemployment; (4) volatile industrial relations climate, (5) highest operational cost in recent times, and (6) an embarrassment for diversification at Wales.In 2013, our Honourable Vice President and Minister of Public Security made these comments (KN, May 24, 2013) “It is time to turn the Board of GuySuCo on its head since it is clear they do not know what it takes to lead GuySuCo. The Alliance For Change demands the firing of the entire GuySuCo Board forthwith. It is clear that the Board of Directors at GuySuCo has zero sympathy for the industry and the plight of the workers. Among them are greedy and self-interested persons who believe that because they are friends of the People’s Progressive Party, they can live the high life off the sweat of the poor man and abandon the one thing that would turnaround GuySuCo… good quality cane.” I now ask our Minister of Public Security, how does reality in 2017 aligns with his comments in 2013?
Yours truly,
Sookram Persaud
