Real men have to save the sugar industry not relics

Oct 22, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am quite intrigued by the recent mutterings on GuySuCo. The eulogy it seems is being read while it is still not dead. The words of Nanda Gopaul, the current interim Board Chairman, on July 17, 2010 as reported by Kaieteur News still rings loud, the board and management are fully competent and quite capable for bringing desired changes and to make the industry profitable.
He went on further to cuss out Booker Tate as the main contributory factor for the failures of the sugar industry. Three months has not passed since, and His Excellency has spoken! Sugar is dying!
SN’s article of the 16th January 2009, “Sugar Shake up, reported”, Dr. Luncheon referred to the changes as, “a preliminary plan of action” that President Bharrat Jagdeo devised following key consultations in the industry a short while ago. He said there is a clear understanding among those involved in the turnaround process that more is to come. He said Cabinet supports the changes, but emphasised that the new board is a short-term one that is expected to work on a recovery plan to be effected within the shortest possible time”.
If the words of the messenger are to be believed, then a plan devised by the President an economist, cannot be considered capricious by its devisor, after all he has to accept blame for the problems of the industry.
Two years in the making and nothing to show for a much talked about turnaround plan is a shame and sham on the administration. So the surprises continue unabated! Minister Robert Persaud and Donald Ramotar “surprise visit” on 5th October 2010, to Skeldon was purely a political gimmick to show that the Administration is concerned about the industry and its frailty. The facts are that the Press was waiting at Skeldon factory in anticipation of the ‘big ones’ visit since 11:30 hrs that day was not surprising at all, so it was needlessly called a surprised visit.
The Minister’s revelation makes good a point for serious commentary, GINA stated that the factory as well as the cogeneration section is now under the supervision of experts from India, who are working closely with the relevant technical personnel from Guyana in an effort to enhance the local skills and realise the full capacity of the facility.
Well I beg to seriously differ with the Minister, but before I state my reservations let me say that the Minister did not say how much is being paid to the “Indian Expert” and what are his competencies.
Let me say that Skeldon is manned by two factory managers, and two production managers (one Indian is employed as production manager), two instrument engineer (one Indian is employed as instrument engineer), unprecedented in the history of GuySuCo. The Indians are like our local managers still learning about the Factory so I would not heap kudos on them for the slightly improved performance.
The reason the Skeldon Factory has found itself devoid of skills is because of the inability of the person in charge of factory operations to articulate a proper policy on the development of its human resources, since he himself can do with significant training. This is not an attack on the person but an honest attempt to point out the shortcomings that are existent and to which the interim board is blind. I have had cause to comment on the composition of the board which in its current form does not have any thing to offer the company, primarily because none of the members have to their credit any proven
business commonsense.
The political make up of the hierarchy of GuySuCo is redolent of encouraging a culture of misfits and political perfidy. The Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive are PPP boys, and that is no secret.
It was told to me by a Booker Tate official that the suggested changes in the organisation structure that was announced in 2009 January, to place Estate Managers was a move to pacify the growing frustrations on BT to initiate a change process. The Government had to show that it was active in the affairs of the company. Remember that Dr. Luncheon reported Cabinet approved of the changes!
There was a meeting with the President and Ronald Ali GuySuCo’s board and the unions in February of 2008 at the then Buddy’s International Hotel, where some damaging comments were made by the local managers of their BT counterparts in the industry. Hanoman was one of the managers from BT who was flying first class every month, I repeat every month, from UK to Guyana and who found it trite that he gets equal with the managers this were the genesis of the changes. The Minister and Government accepted their recommendations without any analysis.
From my following of the industry, managers were continuously deemed corrupters and saboteurs of the industry. On February 1, 2010, Mr. Ramotar in a letter to SN, “No evidence of massive corruption”, made it clear in his view, “The local managers are very capable and all Guyanese should be proud of such a committed group”. For him to stand alongside of Minister Persaud and allow the lamentation of the corporation lacking skills hence the importation of Indian experts is clearly an indication of either Mr. Ramotar is not true to himself or his previous missives are merely political mischief.
Mr. Ramotar needs to let the Guyanese public know, who are these competent managers, and by his own inference why are they sidelined or are they the ones that are currently leading?
If as Mr. Ramotar claims that neglect did occur in some of the Estates, then he needs to let his supporters know why after two years of an interim board (of which he is still a member) and new management GuySuCo is worse off.
Look at the salaries that were paid to Hanoman and Lung Kit, are any of our managers enjoying this privilege?
The Interim Board should be renamed ‘Fading Board’, because despite its heavy weights like Raj Singh of the USA, ‘Gita Singh’ of CLICO and Keith Burrowes of City Hall, nothing has happened! Mr. Ramotar sat there maybe ‘sleeping’ through meetings. So what now for Skeldon and the Sugar Industry? Any failure of the Sugar Industry is a failure of the PPP to its supporters. The PPP cannot afford this in an election year and given the importance to Guyana and will therefore keep propping up the industry.
President Jagdeo needs to stop making useless statement and find out who are the best people in the industry, rein them in, pay them salaries that he paid Hanoman and he will begin to see the light of day.
By the way Sir, did you see that GuySuCo has failed almost all the indicators that it has set itself in the turnaround plan to date?
Raj, Bhim and the Gita cannot save us, neither can the Board. What can JB Raghurai tell/ show a manger in the 21st Century? Real men have to save the industry not relics. I may be wrong but then you will have to prove me so.
Rohit Parmanand

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