…from sugar
The other foot’s finally dropped in sugar. At a function to honour “champion workers”, Agri Minister Holder revealed what’d been long suspected – sugar’s “done for” in Guyana.
A few years ago, then leader of the PNC David Granger had opined his party didn’t see much point in carrying on with sugar. It was only after hitching up with the AFC – and with his eyes firmly on the sugar workers being wooed by the latter – that the new leader of APNU allowed sugar would be supported.
Well…like with so many things in THAT marriage, things have reverted to the status quo ante. The decision to close Wales had been the tip-off to all but those wilfully choosing to be blind. Word then was the government was only closing Wales factory and the sugar cane would still be cultivated and cut – but sent to Uitvlugt for processing.
That elicited quite a few derisory guffaws from old hands since they knew it was pie in the sky (or woeful ignorance) to even SUGGEST such a possibility. Well…now we know. Maybe! The line now is Wales is the pilot project for a complete makeover for GuySuCo – which is now called NEW GuySuCo to emphasise the point. Sugar will now be diversified – into “co-generation, aquaculture, fruit crops, dairy farming, livestock farming and rice cultivation.”
We might just be hearing some even louder guffaws from the aforementioned old hands as they reflect of the old saw- “the more things change…”! For President Granger and his crew are going right back to the 1970s plan of the PNC for sugar. Now don’t get your humble Eyewitness wrong. He’s not pronouncing on whether sugar in Guyana has a future or not…just on the way the government’s going about with its plans.
They’re causing even friends to question whether in fact they actually have a plan…they just seem to be making up things as they go along. Probably with their fingers crossed – hoping for the best. After all, you don’t just wait six months after shutting down Wales and now say it was all part of a wider plan. Why not say it then? Even now the ad hoc statement by the Agri Minister raised more questions than answers.
Those folks that had long advocated that there needs to be an exit strategy from sugar had also proposed that diversification needs to be achieved by allocating the land to the sugar workers in, say, 15 acre plots – which are the most efficient size for family-run farms.
So what is it? Sugar workers are gonna be sold down the river.
…of correspondent banks
In the grand scheme of (international) finance no one in their right senses would claim that Guyana matters. Our ENTIRE economy generates just US$3B which is just pocket change for a medium-level company in the States. So why should Bank of America (BoA) take the time to single out small economies like ours and Belize to sever correspondent banking ties? Well that’s the point, isn’t it?
We DON’T matter…but BoA because of its own sketchy past (it had to pay a US$16.65 billion fine for mortgage law violations two years ago – and still has some outstanding matters in the air) has to show it’s doing something, doesn’t it? So why not two jurisdictions that didn’t matter – but they can show the American regulators they struck off TWO COUNTRIES in tightening up standards! BoA is basically a zombie bank that’s doing a fair imitation of the Walking Dead!!
Has BoA cut relations with banks in Columbia?
It was fined as late as 2014 for laundering drugs money from there.
…of statistics
The Government’s being embarrassed by the failure of its institutions to send statistics to the IMF. This institution uses the figures to pronounce on the health of our economy after sending down its own experts.
What’s the government hiding?
