Now we see why the ordinary sugar workers could not be paid

Dec 16, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am stunned by the super salary being given to the CEO of GuySuCo. Here is a man that was sent packing as Finance Controller because of whatever reasons at the time by the PPP government.
Whatever it was at the time, it certainly was because he was doing something(s) that was not right. Why was he rehired and in a more senior position? Look at the disaster in the sugar industry.
One could probably understand a flat sum of US$8,000 a month. But to be paid US$12,500 a month, plus housing, car, driver, guard, maid, gardener and medical expenses? Now we see why the ordinary workers could not be paid.
I understand that there are others who are receiving similar sums packages.
Following is an excerpt from Ram and McRae:-
“It is so mind-boggling that one may miss the irony of the Head of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme (Dr Coby Frimpong) being the highest paid public employee in the country at a salary of the taxable equivalent of more that $4.5M per month. And his deputy Kevin Hogan, is not too far behind with a taxable equivalent of $3M per month.
“These are the super-Cadillacs while a range of other consultants in the ordinary Cadillac class receive more paltry sums of the taxable equivalent of $600,000 to $1.5M per month. And to ensure that the super-class do not mess with Guyana dollars, their salary is denominated in US dollars. For Dr Frimpong’s salary, we can get approximately 45 heads of schools (Volkswagen) and close to 200 junior teachers (barely bicycle)! Is the PRSP unwittingly enriching a few at the expense of the rest? And why are the unions not shouting from the rooftops?”
Now the Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud is talking about reviewing the salary of GuySuCo senior management. Didn’t he just sign off on 60 percent increase for the senior management, and now he can’t pay the salary of the workers who actually produce. That is probably because all the money was sucked up paying management. This is sheer incompetence.
The reason for this incompetence is that many of those persons in top positions in government, whether political, public service or project heads, is that they are too busy with personal businesses of their own and the public affairs are treated as part time jobs.
When I wrote a similar letter about persons in senior positions conducting private business instead of public two years ago, I saw the President several weeks later announced that senior public officials not performing will be removed. This still remains to be seen.
Are these some of the reasons Navin Chandarpaul left? Why did he wait so long? The PPP as a party has to act now to save this country. They made a huge mistake and by continuing to pretend that things will somehow turn out right would be a clear indication that they are incapable of forming another government.
Ganesh Singh

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