Latest update August 18th, 2026 10:04 AM
Consuming foreign liquors undermines the local sugar industry
DEAR EDITOR,
Several years ago, while Mr. Clement Rohee was Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, I had the good fortune of being in his company at a Christmas season social activity.
There, in light banter, he had been very critical of then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally’s preference for the locally-made vodka, Kazak, to be served at the latter’s social activity. “Kazak? Kazak?” Mr. Rohee queried in the most unflattering of terms, instead preferring then the imported Absolut.
During Parliamentary debate on Thursday, 3rd July, 2008, Mr. Rohee again expressed a great thirsty desire for foreign-produced liquor when he signalled to Opposition Leader Robert Corbin that he would rather talk about a certain matter over a bottle of Grey Goose vodka.
Had the late, great father-of-the-nation, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, been alive, he would have vehemently protested and condemned such utterances and preferences by Mr. Rohee. Dr. Jagan had known only too well that locally produced alcoholic products are highly dependent on Guyana’s sugar industry.
It is from the sugar-belt that much of the PPP’s traditional political support comes. So, for Mr. Rohee to blurt out preferences for Absolut and Grey Goose vodkas is to sacrifice the sweat, blood and tears of his supporters at the altar of becoming a noveau petty bourgeoisie of the capitalist class.
I now must conclude that Mr. Rohee’s so-called championing of the sugar industry, while being Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, symbolizes the zenith of political, economic and social hypocrisy, because today he not only consumes, but advertises foreign vodka in the National Assembly — the highest decision-making forum in Guyana.
It is utterances like these that display the true intent of the PPP, after Dr. Jagan, that now that they are in political power, they will do anything to undermine the sugar industry, including consuming foreign alcoholic products.
Should Mr. Rohee and his Cabinet colleagues continue along this path, they will be doing nothing else but championing the closure of some sugar estates.
Moses Nagamootoo, awake ye! Dialectical materialism must be applied in steering the ship of the PPP and the nation-state back on course.
Dr. Jagan’s legacy is under threat by Mr. Rohee and his ilk, who are slowly abandoning their proletarian roots of the working class that can cause indeterminable damage to PPP supporters and the sugar industry. Save us, Moses!!
Trevor Vannooten
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