SOMEBODY NEEDS TO WALK FOR THIS

May 23, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Guyana must be a very rich country. How else does one explain that we failed, despite the flexibility demonstrated by the European Union, to submit a sugar development plan which would have allowed us to qualify for critically needed support for the sugar industry?
When Europe was forced to take a decision to phase in cuts to the price they pay for our sugar, Guyana indicated its concern about the effects of this decision and the likely consequences this would have on the economy. It also urged that the European Union offer support to offset for the huge losses that would occur because of the reduction in the price paid for our sugar.
This week we have learnt that $1.6B was not approved for Guyana because we failed to submit the required plan. It was further explained that the European Union was flexible and extended the deadline on more than one occasion, yet the plan was not submitted, resulting in the loss of the funds.
The logical questions to be asked are who was responsible for submitting this document? Who failed to get the plan going? Who has accepted responsibility for not submitting the plan? What were the reasons why the plan was not submitted? Where is the person or persons, whom I would assume, were fired because of this foul-up?
When there was some problem with fuel imports for the Guyana Power and Light, the late Joseph O Lall, the then head of the Guyana Energy Authority, was fired from his job. He complained bitterly about that dismissal. The Chairman of the Board of the power company was also asked to step aside.
Then last year when the GuySuCo ran into problems with its production, there was a large-scale management shake- up which saw the termination of the long- standing contract with Booker Tate being ended.
The government was so concerned about the performance of the sugar company, that it also took the unprecedented decision to appoint an interim Board which in turn commissioned an inquiry into the sugar company.
It is therefore somewhat strange that the government went to all this trouble because of the poor production of the company, and yet when it concerned a most critical issue such as support for the sugar industry was lost because of submit the plan. One expects sooner or later that we will have an explanation as to why this happened. Certainly though given the precedent that was set in the past, heads should have already been rolled as a result of this loss of funds.
Certainly also there must have been someone who had responsibility for the submission of this plan and there must be reasons why it was not submitted.
The correct approach and the fair one in this instance is for it to be determined who was responsible for this foul up.
Guyana has lost a large chunk of financing and therefore there must be a reason or reasons why this took place. Is it that we did not want that money? I doubt whether this is so because one of the principal requests made to the European Commission was for support to compensate for the reduced prices.
Guyana has of course had its issues with the EU over the Economic Partnership Agreement but I hardly think this could be the reason for the no submission of the plan. Something is not right here and there needs to be an explanation.
More importantly, regardless of who is involved, heads must roll for this failure. If Joseph O’Lall could have been fired, if the head of the GPL Board was asked to step aside, if Karan Singh from GWI was sent packing, then someone needs to be made an example for what took place.
Unless of course, Guyana is rich and we do not need any pittance of $1.6B from the European Union. Or unless someone is too important to be fired.

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