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We are grappling with the end result of bad management of a national asset – AFC on sugar plight
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder
Despite all that critics are saying, the government plans to stay on course with its reforms to the sugar sector, and the Alliance For Change (AFC) is in full support of that move.
Yesterday, the AFC held its first press conference for the year. Both the Leader of the AFC, Raphael Trotman and the party’s point man on sugar, Noel Holder, were present.
The party was asked to give its independent view of the way government is dealing with the sugar industry. Responses were given from Trotman and Holder.
Trotman reminded the media that the AFC had issued a “very strong” statement last December calling for monies to be set aside for the workers. He noted that the Prime Minister and AFC Executive Member, Moses Nagamootoo, in particular, has been making frequent visits and engaging the sugar belt. He noted that other AFC ministers have been playing supporting roles. “All ministers have been looking at it, as we are very concerned,” said Trotman.
“I can say to you without any fear of contradiction, that in Cabinet, we have made some very strong recommendations and supported the proposals that have come, the most recent being that we must find money to pay severance.”
Trotman said that the AFC continues to push to ensure that sugar workers are treated humanely and are treated in accordance with the contract and collective bargaining agreement in place.
Trotman reflected that it is unfortunate that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has been run down over the years.
“The problems did not start two years ago or five years ago, but over a decade…and it should have been that company paying the severance. Government now has to take very scarce resources and add to GuySuCo’s coffers to service a debt that is really GuySuCo’s.”
Trotman said that there are many who would wish to lay the problems in the sugar industry squarely at the feet of the coalition government “but the issue did not start in 2015.”
“Remember that (former President Donald) Ramotar was himself a member of the GuySuCo board and GAWU had membership too. So we are grappling with the end result of bad management of a national asset, and we have had to make difficult decisions… and government is going to divert from its limited resources, monies to help pay.”
Holder added some perspective as well. He pointed out that “in 1992, GuySuCo had nine estates and 38,000 workers. When this government came into power there were 16,000 sugar workers, because a lot of haemorrhaging of the industry had occurred as a result of closure of estates by the previous government”. Holder made reference to the closure of the Diamond and LBI estates.
He said that a lot of people were placed on the breadline and the PPP/C government did not put much in place to cater for those who have been affected.
“What we have done is to try to put a number of things in place, knowing that we had to stop the haemorrhaging of the industry.”
Further, Holder noted that over the last seven years, government pumped $48B into GuySuCo.
He said that in 2011, over 600M was injected while, $4B, $5.36B, $6B, $12B, $11B and $9B were injected in the subsequent years.
“So we are talking about a total of $48B expended in just bailing out the industry, with no actual returns. It is like putting money in a bottomless hole. This must come to an end and it must come to an end in as painless a manner as possible. This is what we have tried to do, including getting severance pay in January and the rest to be paid later on,” said Holder.
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