Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
AFC condemns cheap blackmail trick by government
They should give account for $44B spent on Skeldon- Nagamootoo
The Alliance For Change (AFC) has lauded the work of the gold miners and rice farmers. However, the party strongly condemns the “cheap blackmail trick” government used in the Parliament on Monday last instead of accounting for the billions spent on the Skeldon Sugar Factory.
AFC’s Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo
Expressing this statement was the AFC’s Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo during his presentation on the 2014 Budget. The Member of Parliament said that his party wished to extend its deepest appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the gold miners and rice farmers.
“Gold miners took a knock from falling prices, but they are bouncing back. Last year and again, this year, Essequibo paddy producers have earned our admiration for protesting for affordable fertiliser and for fair and prompt prices for their paddy. I told them, and I repeat: only the squeaky wheels get the grease.”
“There is no doubt that the hands of rice farmers feed us all, and they give life to our economy. But Government must not take the kudos, and the farmers get the coos-coos.”
The Attorney at Law then said that he was hoping that Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, would have provided in his presentation, a response to the concerns of rice farmers.
These included the price per tonne of paddy sold to Venezuela; the amount paid for shipping and to whom; the amounts discounted by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to process export papers, and where this has gone; the amount going into a so-called social fund, and who benefitted to date, the quantity of fertilizers received through and under the Petro-Caribe deal, and whether any proceeds have gone to Guyana Rice Producers’ Association, and in what amount.
Moreover, Nagamootoo said that government laments about the garbage situation, but it has yet to table in the National Assembly the promised Solid Waste law that could deal comprehensively with the issue.
His party is disappointed in the fact that the fishing industry is facing challenges, but the government has not brought the much promised regulations that would set standards for the fishing industry to be competitive, Nagamootoo said.
“We also wish more could be done in job-creating sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. We also continue to demand more for wages, pensions, social assistance and for organizations that promote assistance to the vulnerable in the society.”
“It is this principled and patriotic position that informed our support in 2012 and 2013 for the use of billions of taxpayers’ monies to bail out the sugar industry and the electricity sector, which are gasping for survival due to the incompetence of this post-Jagan minority government.
“Our stand has been that sugar workers and electricity consumers must not suffer for the failure and bungling of this government.”
As the conversation on the bitter sugar politics continues, Nagamootoo said that instead of Government giving an account of what it did with the $44 billion spent on the Skeldon factory and the $11 billion in bailout money, it came with a “new, cheap, blackmail trick. It opted for the race card.
The PPP told its supporters that the opposition would be guilty of ethnic cleansing of Indian sugar workers if it did not dole out more billions in subsidies.”
To this ‘repulsive move’ by Government he said, “Words have power, and as the world observes the 20th year after the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, we must not use those words even to drive fear subliminally in this ethnically divided land.
“Further, I say not.”
The Member of Parliament said that his party offers partnership so that all members of the National Assembly are not caught in “time-wasting, interminable rancour and confrontation.”
He insisted that the members of the House should labour instead for a “win-win-situation.”
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