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Where is the substantial support to Small Businesses?

Sep 26, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Permit me some space in your newspaper to share my concerns with the public and those who need to look into this. I am a small business owner and I am concerned about the small business sector in Guyana. I see the Small Business Bureau (SBB) traveling around Guyana but what I do not see are the results of all this activity. Maybe we do not see the results because the travels are more of a social (and not business) nature. I will share more on that particular travels in another missive.

Since we the public have not been updated via Press Conference/Statements from the Small Business Council (SBC), can the good folks at the Small Business Bureau inform the public if there is a functioning Small Business Council as required by the Small Business Act? If there is, can the SBC tell us what is the documented process being used to declare a business as an Approved Small Business.

This is defined in the Small Business act 2004 (amended in 2021).According to the Small Business Act 2004, “small business” means any person or persons, including a body corporate or un-incorporate, carrying on business in Guyana for gain or profit and satisfying all three of the following conditions (conditions listed on SBB’s website). I have seen persons who do not even have an active business, receiving monetary grants and other benefits. Loans were facilitated to “businesses” undeserving of same. Year before the last and I believe this year too, the Auditor General flagged these programmes. Can the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce, The Small Business Council and the CEO of SBB prove to the public that this is not true?

Has the SBC been delivering on their mandate? The Small Business Act, in defining the deliveries of the SBC, states that the SBC must submit annually to the Minister, Small Business Policies, Administrative Reform Agenda, recommendations for developmental issues, the granting of incentives to small businesses and facilitation of measures affecting these small businesses. Has the esteemed Council done any of these? Come on guys and gals, there are tons of areas with high impact results that you can execute on. Do not just be happy to sign for the monthly stipend, but be ashamed to take that cheque to the bank knowing fully well that you have failed in your mandate. Hey, there is still time to save face and return those cheques! The issuers of the cheques are also culpable but the Quran and the bible will give you your just rewards.

Now can (will) the good folks at the Small Business Bureau and the Public Procurement Commission tell us what is going on with the Small Business Procurement Programme? The Act (since 2004) is clear that the government shall set aside at least 20% of its procurement of goods, services and works for small businesses. Can you share which Ministry/Agency has fulfilled this mandate? You all know that our government’s annual budgets have been in the billions of dollars.

Small business owners, lend your voices! Where is the support?

In closing, let me borrow the words of a great man – Martin Luther King Jr. “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people”.  This to me is worse than any betrayal.

Sincerely,

Danesh Sharma

Small Business owner

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