IT’S ABOUT TIME THAT THE TRUTH BE TOLD

Jan 25, 2009 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

THE SUGAR INDUSTRY:
It is about time that the truth be told as to the status of Guyana’s sugar industry and the reasons for its rapid downward slide in recent months.

The AFC was belligerently chastised by the Government and Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) some months ago when it brought the public’s attention to the huge problems facing the new Skeldon Factory, and the sugar workers’ miserable working conditions. But it feels vindicated now that there have been admissions forced out of the Minister of Agriculture and GuySuCo officials that huge problems exist, so much so that the entire Board has had to be overhauled.

The AFC believes that the measures being taken by the Government are indicative of its absolute controlling demeanour. It was the controlling demeanour that got the industry into the problems in the first place. The Government does not want to cultivate collegial deliberation, genuine debate as to where the industry should go, and professionalism within the upper eschelons of GuySuCo’s Board and Management.

It wants only to direct and give instructions. This approach will realize the demise of this great industry. Moreover, to cover up Government’s visionless leadership of the industry by blaming the past Board members some of whom were sinecures, in Donald Ramotar, Komal Chand, Badri Persaud and Dr. Raj Singh, all PPP big wigs, will not mean any forward movement for the industry. The root causes for sugar’s decline will not be identified, much less targeted by such artifices.

The time is now when a full, frank, fearless and robust examination of the ills of the industry should be done; and, when honest recommendations as to what should be done to remedy this precarious situation. But this, the AFC believes, will not happen. Such an examination will expose grave incompetence and mediocrity of leadership and management by the PPP/C Government – directly and vicariously.

Such an examination may spill the beans on the issue as to who made the decision, (and why it was made), to grant the Chinese consortium the contract to build the new factory, changing from the solid and dependable Indian firm which has built several factories before in a number of countries. Such an examination may result in shocking revelations of corruption, such as under pricing to some regional markets.

THE AFC’S ELECTION PETITION – REGION 10 SEAT:
The present logjam in the High Court is being given as the reason why no movement forward is being made with the election Petition instituted by Walter Melville on behalf of the AFC concerning the Region 10 Parliamentary Seat. This seat is presently being occupied by Prime Minister Sam Hinds of the PPP/C.

The case which got stuck after certain preliminary submissions by GECOM and PPP/C lawyers, (bent on not wanting to get on with the substantive issues), when it was before Chief Justice Carl Singh, got further stuck when the Chief Justice became Acting Chancellor. This was as a result of a ruling of Justice Ramlall who held that the Acting Chancellor cannot step down from the Court of Appeal to preside over High Court matters.

The case will have to be re-heard all over again by a High Court Judge who is either going to be Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang or someone assigned by him. Mr. Chang recently indicated that a date will soon be set.

The Acting Chief Justice’s difficulty in fixing an early date is understandable. There is a deficiency of Judges in the High Court. This deficiency, the AFC feels, is being deliberately prolonged by the President because in the face of several recommendations for judgeships made some months now by the Judicial Service Commission, the President has not seen it fit to appoint or swear in those recommended. Hopefully, this will happen very soon.

DISCRIMINATION BY GUYOIL:
Several independent gas station owners in Corentyne, Berbice, have complained to the AFC that Guyoil recently has stopped distributing kerosene to their gas stations. Guyoil, however, continues to distribute dieseline and gasoline. Guyoil tankers are only distributing kerosene to designated Guyoil gas stations which amount to seven and which are situated at Canje, Fyrish, Belvedere, Port Mourant, Wellington Park and No. 50 Village.

Consumers not living close to these Guyoil gas stations have to pay an additional transportation cost to get their kerosene. And some have resorted to using dieselene with salt on their stoves.

These independent gas station owners who also have tankers which could transport kerosene from the New Amsterdam Guyoil Terminal are also not being sold any kerosene at the New Amsterdam Terminal, only dieseline and gasoline. When these owners attempt to transport the kerosene from Georgetown to the Corentyne, they are stopped from crossing the Transport and Harbours Ferry at Rosignol.

This bottleneck in the distribution of kerosene has seen long lines at Guyoil Stations and frustration by Berbicians. The independent gas stations owners feel Guyoil is playing politics with kerosene and are indeed very inflamed by this patent discriminatory practice of Guyoil.
The AFC calls on Guyoil, the Government owned oil distributing company, to bring a halt to such discrimination.

THE AFC CALLS FOR LOWERING OF BERBICE BRIDGE FARES:
The Alliance For Change, after careful study, has concluded that the fare structure in place for the Berbice Bridge is unduly and unjustifiably high and therefore prohibitive for commuters. In March 10, 2006, in a GINA release, it was stated that Head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington, had indicated that the tolls for traversing the Berbice River Bridge, starting from 2008, will not be substantially different from the ferry fares. To quote Mr. Brassington and the release: “In terms of the total amount that they (passengers) pay to cross the bridge, on average, we don’t expect that this amount will be substantially different from that which they are paying to use the ferry,”

The release went on to state that Mr. Brassington was of the considered opinion that comparably, the two fares, that of the current ferry operation and the fares set for the Berbice Bridge, the amount vehicles pay in addition to the fares of the passengers in the vehicle, would be almost the same as the one fare that will be charged to cross the Bridge. It was publicly stated that the project is structured on the projection of traffic and it is expected that the fare would go down in time.

Did Mr. Brassington lie to the nation then? He is called upon to explain and clarify his statements in view of what has happened now.

It is therefore mind-boggling that there have been astronomical hikes in the fares and the Government owes the people an explanation as to why this is so. Simply dismissing the calls for a reduction as the President recently did, is contemptuous of the people and of the norms of good business planning.

The public is left to believe that the Government is deliberately charging a rate which is far in excess of an allowable rate of return on the investment. In this regard, the AFC supports the call for the rate-setting functions of the bridge to be subject to the regulation of the Public Utilities Commission Act.

The demand for the payment of very high fares is unconscionable when taken alongside the illegal decision to ban the carriage of small vehicles by the Transport & Harbours Department Rosignol/NA Ferry Service. The decision to place a ban on small vehicles is obviously intended to compel persons to use the bridge to ensure high profits, and has robbed thousands of Guyanese of the freedom of choice.

This Governmental intervention of forcing a market to deal with a monopoly, which it can exploit through high rates, is favouritism towards a friendly monopoly. This favouritism was not part of the deal when the contract to build was signed. To allow such high rates is thus tantamount to a form of taxation on the backs of bridge-users.

The AFC strongly believes that citizens have a constitutional right to use any public service being offered. No Government has the legal authority to dissuade or compel persons to use or not use a service which is a public one. The AFC will seek advice and support for a Court challenge to this ban on the basis that it is discriminatory, and unconstitutional.

THE COASTAL FLOODING:
The recent suffering experienced again by thousands of farmers and villagers on our coastlands, as a result of prolonged flooding in several regions, has pointed to Governmental incompetence in managing the country’s drainage system. Further, it highlights the weaknesses in our governance and electoral systems to hold the Government accountable.

Over the years Government has opted to expend hundreds of millions of dollars on non-essential events intended, no doubt to serve as an opiate for the people instead of pumping the required funds into maintaining and/or increasing the retention capacity of village canals and de-silting outfalls to avoid flooding given evidence of climate change.

The fact that a significant number of the people affected over the years, has opted to re-elect this Government, correlates with the latter’s disincentive to utilize required public funds to attend to the country’s drainage and irrigation problems.
We call for optimal use of available local technical human resources to help in strategizing the best possible solutions in alleviating such disasters.