Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has declared that the opposition parties, APNU and AFC, have no credibility to speak on the future of sugar, as their only preoccupation is to see the industry fail. And this, he says, will not happen under the PPP/C.
In an invited comment to the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Friday, August 26, Persaud spoke of the opposition’s criticisms of government’s stewardship of the sugar industry. He said the joint opposition political parties lack vision for the future of Guyana’s sugar industry and its workers, and were using the issue for political mileage.
“Their campaign is faltering, and every issue is being misrepresented and blown out of proportion with the aim of getting political traction. Sugar is not a political football,” he asserted.
GINA said that in the past the opposition parties had called for the privatisation or closure of the sugar industry, and Minister Persaud said this clearly shows that the opposition parties do not have the interest of the thousands of workers, or the sugar industry, at heart. “When the EU price cuts were announced, those in the opposition had criticised the government for not privatising or closing the industry.”
The agriculture minister said the recent statements on matters being considered by the board of directors are “gross misrepresentations, by the opposition parties, as they have no credibility to speak about the sugar industry.
“Everyone recognises that the factory is a state-of-the-art facility, the only one of its kind in this part of the world. We all recognise, too, that we have to develop the local capability, and we require help in terms of developing that local capability. This is an approach taken by the private sector.
“Speak to any of the large companies and they will confirm the need for overseas technical support from time to time, especially when new technologies and facilities are being introduced. Should the GuySuCo board and management sit on their hands and allow the investment to fail?” he queried.
“This is not a new effort but an ongoing one; and, from time to time, we have had expertise from Europe, China, India, South Africa, Mauritius, and Brazil; and it is in that context that we are seeking to enhance external support to explore the possibility to expand existing arrangements at Skeldon. I now see people going on all sorts of excursions, speculations, without first checking the facts,” he said.