Following heated debate, the National Assembly on Thursday last adopted the Fourth Periodic Report of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services (PSCES).
The report covered the period from January 2008 to March 2009 and the committee focused mainly on the Energy Sector (GPL) and the Agricultural Sector (GuySuCo).
The sitting was marked by a controversial presentation by AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan which clearly upset members of the government. Ramjattan said the committee had found that the two sectors are in tremendous difficulty. He said that if such committees were to be effective, integrity of answers were needed. He then proceeded to blast Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud for telling “inexactitudes” when he appeared before the Sectoral Committee on 11 July, last year. Ramjattan suggested that Persaud had not been honest with the committee when he was asked about the business plan of GuySuCo. Quoting from the Hansard attached to the report, Ramjattan said when the minister was asked about the business plan for the sugar company, he suggested that the document had not yet been completed. However, Ramjattan said, recently when there was the disclosure that Guyana had lost some 6 million euros ($1.6 billion) from the European Union for funding for the sugar sector due to the late submission of the plan, the government subsequently said that the plan had been ready since March.
The AFC Chairman also said that when Persaud was questioned about GuySuCo, he did not present the full picture, since shortly afterwards there was a shake-up of the GuySuCo board. He said the committee was led to believe “all was rosy” with the company, yet afterwards there was a massive overhaul of GuySuCo’s board.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, in his address, staunchly denied that he had been dishonest when he appeared before the PSCES. “I am disappointed that there is an attempt to suggest that information provided to the Economic Services Committee was far from the reality that existed at that time,” the minister declared.
Speaking specifically about the situation with GuySuCo, he said that at the time when he appeared before the PSCES, there were some realities that did not exist, such as the global financial crisis. Persaud further stated that the moves taken in relation to GuySuCo were done to improve the operational efficiency and management capacity of the sugar company. “This year GuySuCo will cut costs by $3 billion without compromising a single job,” the minister said.
On the business plan in relation to European Union funding, he said that at that time negotiations were taking place and it would have been wrong of him to present a definite answer. He also stated that during this period several business plans for the sugar company had been prepared.
The minister also lashed out at those who he said were “willing to compromise the interest of this country for their own narrow political gains.” He called on these persons to demonstrate greater patriotism.
Meanwhile, the PNCR-1G, through its shadow Finance Minister Winston Murray, indicated its willingness to adopt the report. Murray, however, said that the main opposition party still had concerns at it related to these two sectors.
He said that although there were issues of concern the committee worked well and was appreciative that the ministers in charge of these sectors and other officials willingly appeared before it. He, however, objected to the fact that when the PSCES wanted to contact a particular agency that fell under these sectors, it could not have done so without approaching the minister responsible for that agency. This, he said, “was suffocating”.
Chairmanship was rotated between PNCR-1G MP Anthony Vieira and Vice Chair PPP/C MP Gail Teixeira.
