Dear Editor,
As I with great anxiety awaited certainly what would be a monumental ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), I began to reflect on the shame the Coalition had brought us and the ignoble legacy that it has bequeathed to all Guyanese. Indeed, when one considers for instance, the oil agreement with Exxon; the secrecy and subterfuge that has been a hallmark of the Administration; its despotic treatment of the forestry and mining sectors; the disturbing and disdainful treatment of agriculture; the hardships added to Guyanese through a range of taxes; the discriminatory approach in governance, and the distribution of the largesse of the State to its friends and cronies one cannot help but get a clear picture. In my view, it doesn’t take a master political strategist to understand why the Coalition lost Government. But it is their selfish attitude that explains their loss and is the rationale behind their naked, power-thirsty grab for political office. It appears there is much to lose, including freedom for certain recalcitrant individuals.
As I seek to stay up to date with current affairs, I have seen, undoubtedly, in a haste to patronize certain lackeys and supporters the Administration, using NICIL as a medium, has transferred hastily several public properties to private hands, including a playground enjoyed by a community for a long period. NICIL, in seeking to offer a defence, has claimed that some of the transfers are related to its support to the sugar industry. I prior to now have shared my concerns, through the letter columns, as it regard NICIL’s so-called concern. I remain staunch and if not more firm in that view following recent revelations.
A few days ago, the Government-holding arm, in a press statement announced that it was giving the sugar industry some $250m. In its statement, the sum was deemed as yet another disbursement from the $30b bond that was secured to recapitalize the sugar industry. I found this statement strange. I recollect that the NICIL previously had said that further bond proceeds were on hold until the relevant parties had come to an amicable arrangement. The state company went on to inform the nation that in the absence of such an agreement it was forced to finalize land sales in order to meet a bond payment and to provide support to the industry. Now, I see NICIL saying something else. Really, I think, the officials of the entity should get their story straight. I sincerely could not help but wonder whether Mickey Mouse and gang were running an entity which is charged with managing tens of billions of dollars of the people’s assets.
The NICIL also announced that it had a further $750m more for GuySuCo but that would only be released following discussions between the two entities as it regards positioning the industry to become viable. I must confess, I felt this to be a reasonable proposition and a means to get the old fogeys of GuySuCo to begin to act responsibly and with alacrity. When I put this to several of my GuySuCo friends they shared that they been seeking for months to engage NICIL on a professional basis and to bring an end to the childish-antics of the Government’s holding company. My GuySuCo friends told me that there are several exchanges of correspondence which corroborate their version of the events.
They informed me that for some time now they have been seeking to have NICIL and its creature called SPU allow them to borrow a packaging machine from the inoperable Enmore Packaging Plant. I was informed that GuySuCo has a large demand for its packaged sugar and wanted to maximize this market given the lucrative prices. They shared that for weeks they have chased the request so far to no avail. My friends also told me they sought to rent from NICIL/SPU mechanical cane loaders of Rose Hall Estate in an effort to hasten harvesting operations thus improving production and productivity. To their dismay, their request was refused and the cane loaders were rented to a contractor who they must take on to complete their tasks. They advised me there are several other instances of such behaviour on NICIL’s part and they cannot help but feel if the NICIL were really sincere it would not engage in behaviour that would pull down the industry.
After speaking with my friends I could not help but be saddened. It appears that NICIL is more concerned with divvying up the industry’s assets while it makes a hefty premium while at the same time it engages in a seeming deliberate ploy to choke the industry. The obvious question is why? Is it a case of someone having their eye on certain assets of GuySuCo? Who knows but the entire situation is worrying.
Yours faithfully
Liebert Alleyne
