The GAWU could not fail to notice what was prominently splashed across the February 03, Guyana Chronicle highlighting that President Granger said “We’ll return the sugar industry to profitability”. The newspaper reported that the President told his audience that if re-elected his Government “…will return the once ailing sugar industry to profitability”. This is a noteworthy commitment from the President which we recall he had shared before. While we are supportive of all credible and realistic measures to make the industry viable, we, at the same time, find it very hard to consider judiciously what the President is committing to especially given what we know has been the reality of his previous commitments.
Consider for instance that Mr Granger, according to a March 18, 2015 Inews report, “…made it clear that the APNU/AFC will not ‘dissolve’ Guyana’s sugar industry but rather would like to see a turn – around plan for the future of sugar.” The November 01, 2015 Guyana Chronicle quoted the President as saying “[w]e would certainly like the industry to survive; it is not a standalone industry. There might be some part of the industry which could be rehabilitated more quickly than other parts,” he went on to say “[i]t is not dead in the water; there is a lot of life left in the sugar industry…”. The February 06, 2016 Guyana Chronicle reported that Mr Granger said “…it’s unlikely that (closure of another estates) is contemplated…”. Of course, the President disclosed recently that the closure of estates was something his Administration pondered on for some time and it obviously gives rise to doubt as to whether the President was forthright at the time of the February, 2016 Chronicle report.
But even after that, Mr Granger, in an August 31, 2018 DPI article, reportedly “…must be managed in line with profitability.” Something he is repeating again now. Then the June 09, 2019 Kaieteur News reported that the President said “[o]ur sugar industry is going to recover from the difficulties it is facing. This sugar industry is not on the point of death…I am not here to bury the sugar industry…” and he went on to say the industry “…is being restructured so that it can be revived; so that we can make this industry not just sustainable but profitable.” At that time, as we reminded on several occasions, Mr Granger said the “…$30B syndicated bond that has been secured… [will be]transferred to GuySuCo within a short space of time so that urgent needs can be met.” Since then we have learnt from the sugar corporation that releases from the bond has ceased altogether though representations are being made for further disbursements. Given what has transpired it is hard to fault us for our skepticism.
But Mr Granger, the Chronicle said, knows “…the pain the sugar workers feel…”. If the President really knows the workers pain expectedly, he wouldn’t have been treating them the way he is. Mr Granger has not seen it fit and proper to give sugar workers any pay increase since he took office. Even his idol, former President Burnham, was not as heartless to the sugar workers. We wonder how can Mr Granger look at workers straight in the face and says he understands their pains when he ignores their petition, seeks to muzzle their protest actions and pushes them in a corner when they share their cries and lament their situation. For us it is a most disingenuous and deceptive statement by the President.
The newspaper said the President assured that he “…will do everything in its power to protect and preserve the industry by keeping estates such as Albion fully functional.” Another lofty commitment by Mr Granger but under his watch that estate’s production has fallen by 22 per cent between 2015 and 2019. Albion’s factory performance last year has been deemed by workers at its poorest performance for as long as they can remember. GuySuCo told GAWU in November, 2019 that Albion had as much as three (3) weeks of operation during the second crop due to breakdowns. The sugar corporation also earlier this year warned that performance will not improve unless crucial investments are pursued. The GAWU has learnt that during the current out-of-crop period, at all the factories, defective components are not replaced but are merely serviced and re-installed as the industry hasn’t any monies to purchase the necessary spares. On this score, we remind again Mr Granger had said since June, last year that he would have the bond proceeds “…transferred to GuySuCo within a short space of time so that urgent needs can be met.” In our view, it is long past a situation of urgency now.
The President reportedly told his audience that “…Wales Estate was merged with the Uitvlugt Estate and reassign its cane to the Uitvlugt Factory.” This, of course, is not true. Cane cultivation has been practically abandoned at Wales. Only now, the promised road linking Wales and Uitvlugt has been completed. That road was promised to be finished prior to Wales’ closure now more than three (3) years ago. Moreover, that road ends in the vicinity of Canal #1 meaning that all the farmers beyond that point cannot transport their canes to Uitvlugt and thus effectively shoving them out of business. The situation is not blissful at Wales as the President seeks to paint. The December 31, 2017 Stabroek News reported that “…the residents of the community and its environs say that they have noticed a drastic decrease in business and money flowing through the community, which has made Christmas bleak for them.” In the report, a resident of Wales told the newspaper that “[s]ome people might doubt it and others might close their eyes and choose to ignore it but this has been happening since they [the Government]close it [the estate]. Slowly you see everything start dying and people stop spending…”
Mr Granger again speaks about the closure of Diamond, which we had cause to recently remind him was undertaken during the presidency of the late Desmond Hoyte. The January 18, 2016 Stabroek News in a report about the Wales closure announcement shared that “[t]he last sugar estate to be closed was 30 years ago at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.” While we know that the Administration has had difficulties with mathematics, 30 years prior to 2016 would be the year 1986. We hope that this can put to rest this issue which continues to be repeated nauseatingly.
So while the President talks and touts his plans for profitability of the sugar industry, there is very little proof in the pudding. In fact while the President has several opportunities to meaningfully and tangibly address this issue, he had sidestepped and ignored the matter. While we know it is not out of the usual to see promises being made at elections time, the gimmickry being employed raises serious doubt especially when considering previous promises. We believe the sugar industry has all the possibilities of becoming viable and successful but an important element to realising such objectives regards a supportive regime. Unfortunately, the current cabal has not demonstrated such a supportive outlook and their commitments will ultimately have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
