Dear Editor,
There are those of us in whose DNAs lie the sugar industry, would have been interested in Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan’s article in SN of May 26, titled ‘Guyana’s Ethnic Predicament’. The following two quotes invite some further introspection: “acquiring a house depended on what one earned and was therefore linked to the right to work. Plantation labourers had been housed in logies from slavery days.” “when labour became free the planters told them they would enjoy the privilege of staying on the plantation logies if they worked on the estates without protest.” “Historically, estates had ejected tenants who exercised their right to strike. That was why our people preferred houses in a village instead of houses in estates. On the sugar estates, in the villages and in towns, workers had organised to demand decent housing, and no strings attached.”
But there are amongst current generations who would not know that there is in fact a later and larger history to the development of estate housing communities. It began with the establishment of the Sugar Industry Welfare Fund (SIWF) enacted in 1947, which generated a programme of social development across estate communities, what were initially described as Extra Nuclear Areas. Estate managements served as agents of SIWF Committee to implement the massive infrastructural projects in their respective neighbourhoods. Over time the programme saw, in addition to houses, the sinking of efficient wells for water supply, the erection of Community Centres and Girls’ Clubs where drama was introduced and national competitions staged. Out of the playgrounds of these Community Centres arose such cricketing greats as Joe Solomon, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Roy Fredericks, who along with Raikha Bisnauth (Tiwari) of Blairmont Estate, also represented Guyana at table tennis. As the industry’s representative on the Fund’s Committee for some fifteen years one could not help but remark its administration’s focus on certain locations and the
exclusive delivery of benefits and services to ‘resident’ workers and families. Housing loans were repayable by deduction of $2.00 from weekly wages, and therefore repayments normally extended as long as twenty years (making allowance for out of crop periods). Eventually each (developed) house lot was sold for exactly one dollar ($1).
Remarkably, the records show that in 1964 that 30% of the industry’s workforce resided in ‘African’ Villages where not a single community centre was erected. Much earlier the first Chairman of the SIWF Committee, Mr. J. I. Ramphal had ruled that ‘village’ workers must produce documentary evidence of ownership of property (very scarce in those days) – to be eligible for ‘repair’ advances only, since no house lots were on offer to facilitate new building. As a consequence, Afro-Guyanese sugar worker population never benefitted from the Fund. Actually the standard eligibility was merely confirmation of five years continued employment, beginning from age 18 years. So that there continued to be this critical social differentiation created in the industry, possibly without its co-workers ever realising the implications.
Sincerely,
E.B. John
Former Human Resources Director
Bookers Sugar Estates
GuySuCo
