Dear Editor,
We refer to a letter from Joey Jagan in Stabroek News of August 6 captioned ‘What qualifies Raj Singh to be Chairman of GuySuCo?‘ Wasn’t this the same Joey Jagan who said, “Mr Ramotar to me presents a new effort on the PPP’s behalf. I think Mr Ramotar is a man of honour and is not a corrupt man, and I think he means to bring change to this country.” So why the crocodile tears today? If one is to just rehash a bit of history, in 1991 Joey Jagan assisted Raj Singh in a manoeuvre involving the ACG-USA.
It’s been six months and we are yet to see President Ramotar be his own man. When will he be his own man? Is this how we will run this country, as a surrogate President fronting for Guyana’s Putin?
What is wrong with Mr Ramotar? With the constitution on his side, why is he so weak? How can he support such an ill-found decision to have Raj Singh, who resides in New Jersey, appointed Chairman of the Board for GuySuCo. That position demands a full-time chairperson to help resolve the growing menu of challenges facing the sugar belt that provides bread to some 100,000 mouths. There is no room for maladministration, while rewarding political cronies is even worse since it results in greater adverse complications in an already complex situation.
Might we remind the reading public that former Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud had stated that the corporation cannot afford to pay its workers higher wages, yet for the last decade the Jagdeo/Ramotar PPP government found the resources to fund a part-time chairman (flight, room and board and all else). Where is the value for money in this decision? Why should Mr Singh not be on any board in Guyana?
* He is not the management expert who is vitally needed to turn around GuySuCo.
* His track record both in the political and management arena lacks transparency.
* GuySuCo deserves a sugar or a management professional who has a global understanding about the costing structure per estate, the menu of issues with respect to the Skeldon Factory and the agronomical deficiencies in the field. Such a person must have the experience and ability to devise and execute the work plan needed to turn around the sugar belt by addressing these three issues at a minimum. There is no room for political hacks and campaign donors; they will just accelerate the demise of GuySuCo.
* GuySuCo needs to open the dialogue on the solutions to its challenges by engaging the workers, the private sector, the labour movement and the political opposition. That requires leadership which encourages such activities that would add strategic value to the process. Unfortunately those who are aware of Mr Singh‘s track record know that he has little tolerance for dissenting points of view.
* Name one multi-million US dollar business corporation that Mr Singh has managed successfully? So why do we expect him to manage GuySuCo successfully when
he has little experience at leading and creating value in large businesses?
* Mr Singh was on the GuySuCo Board for a long time and was part of the problematic team under which GuySuCo ‘bruk up.’ So why do we expect he will get a brain wave to turn around the corporation?
* Mr Singh has no constituency, be it in the diaspora or in Guyana.
So Dr Jagan is absolutely right; Raj Singh is the least qualified person to be the Chairman of GuySuCo, but he should be the last person in the world attempting to criticize his former associate. How could Dr Jagan have joined the PPP campaign last November and expect Guyanese to respect and believe him, much less listen to him today.
Yours faithfully,
Asquith Rose
Harish S Singh
