Dear Editor,
I write to congratulate the GuySuCo board for their latest innovation – just-in-time payroll. I am of the opinion that they have not received their just accolades and praise for their pioneering and innovative efforts in keeping king sugar alive and kicking.
I was fortunate to observe the system at work at Wales Estate recently as workers lined up for hours waiting on the payroll to arrive. It wasn’t ‘just in time,’ but it’s understandable that you will encounter hiccups in the early stages of implementing a system as complex as a just-in-time payroll.
It was such a momentous occasion, market day was brought forward one day. The previous week there was market day but the payroll did not arrive. We can call that a trial run of sorts. The shifting of market day is significant as it shows the entire community demonstrating great flexibility in embracing this new innovation. It would be of great value if GuySuCo could provide ship arrival and departure schedules. This would greatly assist those of us who have fortunes tied up with the corporation in fine-tuning our inventory levels.
Sticking with the theme of deception, I recently received an email update from the Guyana Consulate in New York. In this latest dispatch from the Big Apple the headline screamed ‘Investments this year surpass expectations – Head, Go-Invest.’ This email was extremely long as it was a recap of 2009. I made myself comfortable and settled in for one of my favourite hobbies – gem spotting. For the record let me admit that I am no gemologist but I was able to recognise a few Guyana semi-precious stones. Para-graph one opened with what I thought was a brilliant red Jasper, ‘420 projects for this year thus far.’ Three paragraphs later this morphed into blue soapstone, ‘So far we are working with over 420 projects’ (I would say about half of those rolled over from 2008).
Paragraph 21, however, exposed my status as a gem neophyte: “In the financial sector, two banks have been constructed in the Lethem area, while another is being encouraged in Region One.”
This gem is a rare one and to date the Consulate in New York has not replied to my email querying its origin.
I recently returned from Lethem and there is only one bank visible to the naked eye. GBTI has a branch located at Lot 121 Lethem, not far from the Regional Office. As it relates to Region 1, I will do additional research on how I can encourage a bank into existence.
I know for sure GBTI exists because I’ve seen the entity, spoken to two employees about the services rendered by the bank. For additional confirmation I spoke to someone with an account at GBTI, Lethem.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Jacobs
