The challenges on hand are mammoth in nature

Mar 25, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The closure of the Wales, East Demerara, Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates, sent distress signals not only to the employees as a whole, but also the general populace since the Industry has always played an integral role in the sociological and economical perspectives of our country. After all, job security and foreign exchange are important ingredients in the pot of progress for any nation and in particular, any Third World Country that is struggling to stay afloat, a minnow in a sea of giants. And so even as many argue for and against the fortunes of the Sugar Industry, there is the commonality in thinking that the current state of the Industry was self-inflicted rather than deliberate. After all, the injection of billions by both past and present Administrations, have certainly not borne fruit as promised by those put in place to manage the affairs of the Industry.
The most recent significant input was the G$ 32 B that was pumped into Guysuco over the last two years by the current Administration in an effort to revamp the entity and so make it attractive to investors, the ultimate goal being privatization. The fortunes of sugar are way too uncertain given the loss of the EU preferential market and the declining prices on the World Market. In its current form, privatization is not an option, it is inevitable. The thinking is logical and with the options of DIVERSIFICATION in whatever form with sugar as a by-product of whatever process is employed, there were more than enough monies available to chart and navigate the process successfully.
The callous approach by the Management of the Company over this period led to further decline in the fortunes of the Company and one has to beg the question ‘Why?’. The answer to this is quite simple and less complicated than most people think it is. When given a glorious opportunity to do better, the Interim Management Committee comprising Messers. Hanoman and Bhim, blundered badly through ineffective and inefficient management. Both are experienced accountants but with very little appreciation of Estate Management and in their drive to mico-manage, they managed to obfuscate the process.
Emasculation of Estate Management and the deliberate starving of resources across the Industry and in particular to the closed estates by the IMC, led to wanton wastage and decline. The term deliberate starving is used since their catastrophic blunders led to a hasty decline in production, so monies were not available to do as required. The current Administration simply refused to further entrust them with more of the taxpayers’ dollars and so both were at a stalemate. The wresting of the Industry from the clutches of the IMC was therefore, inevitable and thus paved the way for the Special Purpose Unit’s takeover, where managing the Industry going forward is concerned.
Mr. Heath-London, Head of the SPU, certainly has his job cut out for him taking into consideration the delicate balance in dealing with the Current Administration that will not allow mediocrity to raise its ugly head again and while at the same time, restore confidence in the process. But he needs to be careful since within the hierarchy of Management within the Company, deviousness is prevalent.
The challenges on hand are mammoth in nature and even with Rose Hall and Enmore now moving in a positive direction, the state of affairs of the closed estates render the process an uphill task. But he has the right approach and vision for the task on hand and while there will be constant modifications to existing plans because of the rocky road ahead, one must appreciate this individual’s temerity to manage a process given the state of the Industry and so we must give him the requisite support since he will give us his as required.
A concerned stakeholder

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