No one believes there is an overnight solution to the challenges of the sugar industry

Nov 19, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Having read Mr. Sasenarine Singh’s latest lecture in the Kaieteur News on November 18, 2010, I am extending an invitation to this ‘extraordinary politician’ to urgently leave his home in North America and visit Guyana to wave his magic fairy wand and instantaneously solve not only the problems in the sugar industry, but all across Guyana.
This gifted individual who apparently ‘sees all and knows all’ is a clear expert on every facet of life in Guyana. He seems to have all the mysterious solutions to our many problems. One must wonder why did he leave Guyana in the first instance and not stay here and work his miracles.
Sitting on his lofty perch in North America and writing, engulfed in his typical ‘foreign superiority syndrome’, he boldly indicates that only he and his party the AFC ‘have bright people to solve our problems’.
So what he is indicating is that every other individual in Guyana, who is not part of his party is an illiterate and cannot think for themselves, including the sugar workers, whom he is clearly confident will be swayed by the promise of his ‘magic fairy wand’ to solve all their problems.
As such this ‘demi-god’ apparently does not feel that anyone else in this country is allowed to have an opinion so he seizes on any opportunity to flex his ‘intellectual fortitude’ he speaks so highly of.
This individual, who is politically campaigning openly for himself and party through the letter pages, has not been elected to office, but already seeks in a dictatorial attitude to silence those who do not share his political views. This is most hypocritical and clearly exposes the narrow agenda of someone who is willing to sacrifice the sugar industry in his quest for political office.
In his response to the letter published on November 12, which outlined several aspects of the operations of the sugar industry, the challenges and what is being done to solve them and the role workers and the corporation play in the revival of the industry, the AFC politician, despite all his huffing and puffing could only manage to single out the underperforming Skeldon Factory to lambast, enjoying the benefit of hindsight.
While no one has denied that the Skeldon Factory has been affected by technical problems, what is being done to remedy this has also been clearly articulated in the public. No one has shied away from this responsibility. However, as is expected from an opportunist, he seeks to exploit the workers agitation to achieve his political agenda by seeking to harp only about Skeldon.
It is public knowledge and as articulated in the letter he took umbrage to that the future of the Industry is not only pegged on Skeldon alone, but rather it is an important component in the overall drive to realise the future success of sugar in Guyana.
Apart from the expansion
and mechanization drive at several estates to increase efficiency and productivity (an area where Skeldon has shown immense progress), the enhancement of our value added potential to increase earnings is being realised through Project Gold at Enmore. Yes, the very same Enmore that is part of the East Demerara estates which his party, the AFC had labeled as a drain on the industry in 2007.
While the AFC was quick to do away with the fate of the East Demerara estates, the very same people he is accusing of neglect made the tough decisions in the face of his party’s criticisms to invest in the long term future and this plan is gradually being realised.
In his political campaigning, he not only continued his rhetoric on the Administration, but even went further to lecture about the Chinese Government and their international policy on financial assistance around the Globe. I am not sure how the Chinese international loan policy could have relevance to the problems which confront the industry. However, on the aspect of their technical capability, I am not sure which world the writer lives in, but in this world the Chinese are recognised as one of the world leaders in this regard. What I do know is that at a critical stage in our industry and economy when accessing such financial assistance from global partners was a challenge, the Chinese came forward and gave Guyana a helping hand.
This is no different from when the construction of Guyana’s cricket stadium was being besieged by problems. Then as now, there was a furor of criticism and expert opinions and lambasting of the construction firm. Today, that is now history, but in this case history is repeating itself and the same will be the case for Skeldon when it becomes fully operational. By then this politician would have set his sights on another target to vent his expert opinions. But sugar workers and by extension the people of this land cannot be fooled into believing that there is an overnight solution to overcome the challenges of this industry.
What the AFC member has failed to recognise and acknowledge is that this is the only period in the history of our sugar industry that is has been affected by so many challenges and at the same time it is being transformed on so many fronts to overcome those challenges and increase production to unprecedented levels.
Such success will ultimately benefit sugar workers. Who in their right senses could expect such an effort to be realised without its fair share of challenges?
Name and Address Provided

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