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Foreign companies do not offer generosities

Apr 03, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Chinese company, BaiShanLin has been in the news quite a lot.For me the controversies surrounding this company point to two very important aspects of our political economy.  First, it was revealed by the forensic audits that the company acquired a number of other companies over a period of time. This resulted in a monopoly in the forestry sector which in turn amounts to an unfair advantage of other competitors which runs counter to the notion of a developmental model that centers the encouragement of local investments.
Foreign investments should be encouraged; we need them. But such investments should not structurally undermine local small and medium scale initiatives. Foreign companies are never known for leaving much of their profits in the countries in which they invest. So it is imperative that the host countries do not afford them such control as BiShanLin was granted by the previous government. I know that contemporary economic praxis no longer favours nationalism, but I still think that the interests of our people and our country must be front and center when negotiating with foreign companies.
The second issue has to do with the fact that BiShanLin’sacquisition of the companies was in violation of the Forest Act. That the then government permitted this is really the unkindest cut. How can you allow a foreign company to break the laws of the country you were elected to govern with such impunity? Where was the Guyana Forestry Commission? In effect we elected a government to appropriate the country’s resources for itself and its local friends and to give away the rest to their foreign friends. These people are not nationalists.
Why was BaiShanLin allowed to hold on to a contract for eight years without setting up the promised facility? This is a trend; we see it also in the building sector. No wonder BiShanLin has had such a bad record when it comes to upholding proper labor standards. We now know that they are a sacred cow.
It is not unreasonable to conclude that this company has, for the past decade, been very much part of the web of corruption in Guyana. One has to ask what did those who were tasked with managing the forest sector get from BiShanLin in return for turning a blind eye and/or facilitating its unfair dominance in violation of the law.
I am very clear in my mind that those concessions must be recovered. I am also in full support of the recommendations by the auditor that the contract be terminated. We may be poor, but we must have some dignity. Our governments should not be allowed to sell out our natural resources in exchange for the personal enrichment of a few.
There needs to be a national revolt against this blatant high class rape of our country. From BiShanLIn to the Broadcast licenses to the Land Giveaways on the East Bank and elsewhere, our country was stolen in front of our eyes. There is a linkage between these corrupt, unlawful acts and our substandard education and health systems and our bad roads and poor drainage and the high level of poverty in our country. This is a very serious matter that demands prompt and decisive remedial action from the government.
David Hinds

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