Dear Editor,
It has been a month since the story of Guyana losing €6M, an equivalent of $1.8B in funding from the European Commission (EC), made headlines.
The combined opposition forces and concerned citizens all called for the government to launch an investigation into what caused the six-month delay in the submission of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco) Action Plan, and to take the necessary disciplinary action against those responsible for this costly and embarrassing blunder. But to date, there has not been the slightest indication from the administration that anything is going to be done about the matter.
The funds are not accessible and so it seems as if the fact that the country lost valuable financial assistance which it could have well utilized, is not of any concern to the government. Apparently this problem is only a concern for the opposition and right-thinking Guyanese, who find that this form of callous mismanagement is something that should be addressed with the sternest of measures to ensure that lessons are learnt and that those culpable of committing this sin never commit it again.
Many persons told me that nothing was going to be done about this matter. Even the bloggers on the Stabroek News website, despite speaking out sternly about the irresponsibility of the late submission of the Sugar Action Plan, all ended by saying that nothing is going to be done by the administration. And this is indeed sad. Imagine Guyanese at home and abroad have come to expect mediocre management by the government and now accept it. We are indeed living in a political dilemma called democracy.
However, the strangest action of all regarding the loss of the EC funding is the resounding and deafening silence of the trade unions who purport to represent the rights of the sugar workers. What has the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) said about this irresponsible action? Where is the National Association of Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE)? I wondered if this situation had happened 20 years ago what would have been the measures taken by the unions? I can tell you what would have happened then: the late Dr Cheddi Jagan, would have been protesting like never before. The unions would have called a strike so massive that the EC might have felt sorry and paid the Guyana government the funds. It is amazing how times have changed. A catastrophic mistake that has cost the Guyana government, GuySuco, and the people of Guyana $1.8B sees the unions that represent the sugar workers silent, and the sugar workers themselves are silent.
When it comes to wages negotiations, I hope that the unions are fully aware that there will be a deficit of $1.8B in the coffers of the government, so they need not waste time arguing and haggling over a raise in pay.
It is time for the President to act decisively on this issue. It will not go away. The opposition needs to continue driving this message in parliament and wherever they can. This cannot be swept under the proverbial carpet like everything else. The carpet is now so filled with all the stuff placed under it that some things are protruding and people are seeing. And the solution is not a bigger carpet, but a removal of the carpet altogether and dealing with the stuff that has been swept under it.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Francois
