Is this an unjust exercise of discrimination under the guise of restructuring?

May 04, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Reference is made to the letter that was published in the Guyana Chronicle of May 02, 2019 written by David Carter titled “Restructuring” is most timely. The writer appears to make a case for this exercise on the grounds that something is not functioning right at the GFC and made a number of allegations, assumptions, and assertions on the GFC systems, senior staff mainly from one ethnic group and land allocation process just to summarize. Mr. Carter must know that persons from all ethnic groups benefitted from employment at the GFC under the PPP and there was no discrimination.
More persons from the non-Indian population were given opportunities, position, overseas training, etc. Persons were identified and placed not on ethnicity but rather skills, experience, and competence. I challenge anyone to produce evidence on being denied job opportunities based on ethnicity and acts of discrimination pre-2015. If Mr. Carter has this information, please do the public good and publish it.
We are again barking up the wrong tree on land allocation pre and post by successive governments. This matter was ventilated in Parliament a few years ago and the Hon Minister was but embarrassed from information provided by his advisor on who allocated claims to various areas of the forest. If I am correct, the GFC had published sometime ago the large concessions that were given out prior to 1992 and of course Barama was one of them that was given out pre 1992. So check your facts Mr. Carter. The forestry sector has the widest spread of allocation based on ethnicity. The PPP sought to regularize the forestry sector and not divide as Mr. Carter is alluding to. Many communities in Region 10 have access to forest lands more than any other district. In fact, Region 10 perhaps has the largest allocation of state lands for communities. The forest resource is a patrimony to all Guyanese and what Mr. Carter wants to see happening is a creaming off by one ethnic group and this must be rejected. I call on Mr. Carter to show where over 80% of the forest has been allocated by the Managers pre 2015 to Indian and Asians as he seems to have the facts at hand. He should publish the names, area size and year of allocation.
Guyana like any other country promotes free trade, hence the importation of pine was not a forestry issue but a trade issue Mr. Carter. The value added industry has to get up to scratch to compete with imported wood products be it pine, ply board, MDF etc. Notwithstanding, the private sector complained to the Ministry of Foreign Trade on pine and is the Ministry of Foreign trade that took it to CARICOM and had the tax adjusted and not the Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Trotman. Again, Mr. Carter check your facts. You seemed to be a messenger to someone who has access to some relevant information.
Again, if you have information on sexual molestation at GFC or any other place please contact the police and have the matter investigated.
Finally, the tone of Mr. Carter letter speaks of someone in desperation seeking to justify an unjust exercise of Discrimination under the guise of Restructuring.

Sincerely
Ms. C. Cadogan

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