Dear Editor,
As a former employee of GuySuCo, I met the best part of my life, in the sugar fields. I now live in America; but America is only work and money but no life. Many of my best friends are from those sugar fields. Every time I return home, we catch up. That is why I am so disappointed, upon my visit to Guyana this time, I am being told by persons within the Corpora-tion of massive acts of corruption.
When I went to the United States, I was able to study and uplift myself. I know from my experience in business operations in America that all assets have to work and work harder to make more money for the owners and not be left idle. But Guyana seems to work on a different set of rules and I wonder why? Why is this valuable asset called the GuySuCo airplane being cannibalized (I am told worth $200 million?)
I am told today that GuySuCo’s aircraft operations have been in shambles since May 2024 because of the personal intervention by an executive who is hell-bent on signing a contract with his friends in the private sector for a personal fee to him. I am calling on the Minister of Agri-culture Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha to investigate this allegation since he is responsible for the agriculture sector and must answer to the nation on these matters.
Now think of this dear Editor, when an agricultural plane flies, it is to do a basic business – apply chemicals. You apply chemicals on acres of land and thus that has to be the basis upon which payment and contracts are made – acres, not flying hours. But yet the contract is in flying hours and the payment is being made as per flying hours and the work is done on acres. So the plane can fly to Mahaica, apply chemicals on a rice farmer field and then fly to Rose Hall to apply on GuySuCo field and GuySuCo can be called to pay for it all since the plane left Ogle to apply fertiliser on GuySuCo field. This opens the room for massive acts of corruption and loss of cash by the Government of Guyana.
I am told that the GDF took control of the Ogle Operations and GuySuCo built a hangar at Rose Hall Estate on that airstrip costing close to $20 million, but it has now been left idle since the GuySuCo plane is set to be de-commissioned. I am told because of cost, the aircraft team headed by a seasoned Aircraft Manager with 30 years of service was able to cut costs and build their offices using shipping containers at a fraction of what it would have cost to build a concrete structure. I am told that seven aircraft professionals take care of this aircraft operations including three highly trained persons – aircraft engineer, aircraft mechanic, and aircraft pilot respectively. I am told that the airplane is at Rose Hall and has been idle since April of 2024 and there are no plans to fly this plane again because the executive is allegedly steering the entire deal to the private sector company.
Let us get the facts right – GuySuCo spent money ($20 million) in 2023 to build the hangar. GuySuCo has a plane that is functional after a routine repair but that repair has been deliberately put on hold by this executive since March 2024.
GuySuCo is paying the aircraft staff I understand, more than $24 million a year to do nothing since April 2024.
Regards,
Carl Persaud
