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Aug 07, 2012 News
– Industry in dire straits, requires drastic remedies – Nigel Hughes
By Gary Eleazar
If it is a case where the best talent required to rescue the ailing Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) cannot be located locally, then resorting to overseas personnel cannot be ruled out.
This is the opinion of newly-elected Chairman of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, who has weighed in with his personal view on the recent Parliamentary revelation by Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy as it relates to arrangements in place for GuySuCo’s Board Chairman.
The information was made available to Parliament as a result of a request by Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who holds the shadow Agriculture portfolio for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Dr. Ramsammy had informed the House that GuySuCo buys a return ticket every month for its Chairman, Dr Rajendra Singh, who is based in New Jersey. The Agriculture Minister said that Dr. Singh is flown into Guyana every month, on an economy class ticket, and his hotel accommodation and other expenses are met by GuySuCo.
Hughes, in weighing in on the matter, opined that “GuySuCo is in such dire straits, if it is that the Chairman can only be recruited from overseas and has to be flown in on a monthly basis, then justification would be evident in the performance of the industry”.
Hughes stressed that the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the cash-strapped entity has to be operating within specific guidelines and deadlines. He said that the company is at a point where practicing fiscal responsibility and bringing back the company to economic viability has to be of utmost importance.
Unaware of all the factors that have led to the recruitment of and arrangements for Dr Singh, Hughes noted that he would be unable to say if it is exorbitant or not.
At the time of the revelation by Dr Ramsammy in parliament last Thursday, Opposition Parliamentarian Volda Lawrence had sought to inquire whether there are qualified persons residing in Guyana who could do the job, stressing that Dr. Singh has been on the board for many years.
As such Ramsammy retorted that President Donald Ramotar is slated to name a new board to oversee the operations of GuySuCo by the end of the year.
The Corporation’s biggest headache is the Skeldon Estate, which was commissioned in August 2009 at a cost of US$181 million, but has failed to live up to expectations.
Originally, GuySuCo had put US$70 million into the project, according to Minister Ramsammy.
Now, the Corporation is looking to spend US$8 million to fix various faults at the estate.
Opposition parties had called for the board of GuySuCo to be replaced with professionals so the industry could be better managed.
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