Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter by Anthony Francis, captioned, ‘GuySuCo appears to be on track to produce 15,000 tonnes sugar less than in 2023 with an estimated loss of $500 million’.
Firstly, this caption is misleading since the ‘loss’ is an estimated loss in revenue based on canes which is estimated to be taken forward to 2025 at an estimated TC/TS of 12. The writer should have done a calculation to edify those who will be unable to comprehend how the ‘loss’ was arrived at. For instance, he assumed that 180,000 tons will go forward to 2025 and the loss in sugar will be 3,750 tons at approximately $133,333.00 per ton which will translate into $500 million loss in revenue. This is all hypothetical. I recall Mark Twain who said that there are, ‘Lies, damned lies and statistics’. This highlights the use of statistics to boost weak arguments. The second crop is still incomplete and 2025 is still far ahead but assumptions by the letter writer ran amok. It is not an easy task to resuscitate an industry which has been intentionally guillotined and wrecked in more than one way by the previous government and the letter writer is cognizant of this fact. Yet in the dark days of the Coalition he was dumb, deaf and mentally challenged and heard nothing from his ‘friends’ in the sugar industry. There are still some challenges which need to be overcome. This is no secret and the policymakers acknowledged this on many occasions but have been working arduously to resolve these. The President and the Vice-President and the Minister have been working tirelessly to ensure GuySuCo is once again viable and the industry is moving in the right direction but the naysayers struck at every opportunity to kill the industry.
In addition, the socioeconomic progress made at Rose Hall and other communities affected by the Coalition’s destruction bears testimony to the progressive trajectory of this government. Those who have eyes let them see and let those who have ears listen. One has to live in these communities to understand and empathize with the untold pain and suffering these dismissed workers had to endure. The genesis of this massive dismissal of sugar workers is the genesis of the labour problem faced by the Corporation and the reason why targets cannot be met. It is no secret that canes cannot be harvested as planned because of poor labour turnout and shortage. Let the writer request his ‘friends’ to submit these figures. Despite the labour challenges Rose Hall production has improved significantly. This estate was rehabilitated using porters and cleaners who were trained on the job. This is a monumental achievement. To reiterate the Minister’s statement: GuySuCo is more than a profit and loss statement.
Secondly, the writer is being ‘told’ a lot of things which can be categorized as hearsay and lacks merit. I am sure that with so many things peddled to him it would have been easy for him to have access to the Strategic Plan for GuySuCo for the period 2021-2026. This plan was submitted by each estate to the Board after quite a few editions, but I guess his ignorance of this was for a more ulterior motive and an attempt not to disclose his identity and that of the real culprit. People who are confident of what they are writing should not seek to hide their identity, this is a cowardly and despicable act.
Thirdly, the letter writer seemed hell-bent on using ad hominem attacks and baseless allegations against Minister Zulfikar, Chairman Ramraj and Director Panday. For instance he claimed that the ‘policymakers’ and the Minister showed ‘indifference’ to ‘the plight of 8,000 persons’ working in GuySuCo. Did he mean during the Coalition’s tenure? I challenge him to prove this rubbish. This Minister and the government fought ‘tooth and nail’ in Parliament for the betterment , improvement and the very survival of the sugar industry and its workers but the writer is intentionally oblivious of this, he probably needs to be told by his ‘friends’ in the industry. If it was not for this Government the entire industry would have been closed years ago. The Minister’s zeal, zest and determination are unparalleled and lauded across the industry and the country as a whole. Every worker has his personal number and can call him at any time. This is no secret. The writer needs to unequivocally apologize to the Minister. This Minister never lost touch with sugar. His intimate relationship with GuySuCo goes back to his youthful days. He lives and breathes sugar and no one knows sugar more than him.
Fourthly, the writer claimed that, ‘no one is listening to the Estate Managers who are the real experts with the real experience to fix these problems’. Again each estate is involved in formulating detailed plans for each activity in the field and factory and these are presented to the Board for approval and the Management Committee and the progress tracked daily. This is another claim which must be labelled as not only false but mischievous as well. The writer should have given some evidence as to why the Chairman should take ‘full responsibility’ for whatever he claimed went wrong. The Chairman and other Directors on several occasions would visit the estates personally and encourage both staff and workers to state their problems so it is mindboggling to determine the Chairman’s culpability. Furthermore, the writer seemed fixated on Mr Panday, the Agriculture Director and there seems to be some personal rancour and animosity here. Mr Panday has a wealth of experience and is making significant contributions to the industry. Each and every estate manager knows that he only acts after consultation with the estate and justifications are submitted. He does not operate in a vacuum. Maybe he is seen as a threat to the laissez-faire manner in which some people love to operate.
In conclusion, the writer needs to do more in depth investigation as to the real challenges facing GuySuCo, be it climate change, poor labour turnout, the need to hasten the mechanization process, etcetera. On a lighter note he should have recommended ‘squib’ selling to the 7,000 workers who were unconscionably thrown into the breadline. The industry will be viable again and 2025 will bring it closer to that achievement. Sugar will survive and thrive under this government. Our ancestors sacrifice will not go in vain.
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf