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.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud
“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.
He reminded that AFC’s presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan had made in Parliament several failed attempts in the past to discourage government’s efforts to garner funds through a supplementary financial paper in the National Assembly. Those funds included Gy$4billion for land purchased from GuySuCo for housing purposes.
A government minister was taken to the Committee of Privileges when the government sought to provide resources to the sugar industry.
“David Granger himself, several weeks ago at a public forum, suggested that closure of the sugar industry in Guyana was something he would consider. Ramjattan and others in his party have also advocated the privatization, and even the shrinking, of the sugar industry; so they have absolutely no credibility to speak on the efforts to turn around the industry,” Minister Persaud reiterated.
This, Minister Persaud said, is clear evidence that the detractors want to see a failed sugar industry; and as such, he gave commitment that government would not allow the sugar industry to perish.
He warned that society must be aware of the strategies of detractors who usually appear whenever national elections are imminent. He also noted that government would remain committed to the sugar industry, recognising that government is the largest employer.
Opposition parties, with help from the hostile media, have sustained a campaign to continuously misrepresent facts within the sugar industry; and its many successes, such as the reduction of the cost of production to remain competitive in the world market, and the finalisation of the turnaround plan.
“I would ask the public and those in the sugar industry not to pay any serious heed to these individuals, because they do not have the industry’s survival at heart. Any development initiative embarked upon by the PPP/C will be deliberately misrepresented by the opposition for cheap political shots.”
