GuySuCo CEO must be given time to implement his strategic plan

Dec 23, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – I read with much interest the rebuttal letter penned by Dr. Vishnu Bisram on matters pertaining to GuySuCo against Drs. Euclid Rose and Rajkumar for their response to Mr. Abdool Majeed. A lot of information is flowing into the public for healthy discussions. However, as academics, we must all bear true allegiance to facts not opinions.
No one will doubt that GuySuCo needs to be in the open as billions of taxpayers’ dollars are pumped into the industry. There must be accountability, and no one should be offended when taxpayers ask questions. After all, the funds expended to GuySuCo could have been used to finance so many other projects that would have been beneficial to all Guyanese. It is now considered “sunk” cost, as it is hardly likely that GuySuCo would be asked to repay the funds given to the organisation.
With reference to management, Dr. Bisram has identified a number of persons who were either former Board members or executives of GuySuCo. My question to Dr. Bisram is very simple. If these men were so endowed with the knowledge to manage this complex industry, then why did GuySuCo sink into the abyss and could not survive without Government support. Any professional who is worth his/her “salt” would have done the honourable thing and step down if they were not allowed to perform their functions professionally. We can cry “wolf” as much as we want, the fact is under the watch of the persons who Dr. Bisram identified, GuySuCo was plunged into grave darkness. The question we may never have the answers for is whether these goodly gentlemen were more interested in the glamour and perks of the job rather than professionalism. The last time GuySuCo showed a profit was around the year 2000. Why did the Corporation move from a profitable entity to an abysmal failure with these professionals in charge? Didn’t they have the requisite skills to execute strategic plans to save this important industry? If they did, where are these plans Dr. Bisram? The fact is these men were riding the gravy train as correctly reported by Drs. Rose and Rajkumar.
Mr. Majeed has the right to highlight shortcomings of the new CEO Mr. Sasenarine Singh. Mr. Singh has been on the job for just about one year and I would advise him to take all constructive criticism seriously. However, when the aggrieved worker can only see the “trees” and not the “forest”, his identified shortcomings are more like “dog and the bone.” S/he does have legitimate concerns, but s/he seems so angry with the CEO that there is willingness to see the Corporation sink further without looking at the strategic plans of the CEO. During his year in office, the CEO and his management team prepared this strategic plan. This plan was approved by the Board and was in the implementation phase when the floods came. Now, I am sure the CEO and his team are working feverishly to revise this strategic plan. I am sure they will come up with a Plan A, Plan B, etc. and to tweak those plans, as may be needed.
For Mr. Majeed’s edification, any organisation needs a united team that will work in unison to achieve the objectives of the entity. This is applicable to a government, a club, a social group and definitely GuySuCo. If the CEO does not have a team that can work together to achieve its goals, then the CEO must be given the opportunity and indeed the space to have a trusted team. Why did Mr. Majeed come to the conclusion that the team around the CEO will lead to corruption? Is Mr. Majeed corrupt? We are told that what comes out of a man, defines the man. For Mr. Majeed to conclude that the trusted team around the CEO will automatically lead to corruption, speaks volumes of Mr. Majeed.
I am of the professional view that Mr. Sasenarine Singh will lead GuySuCo to a much-needed break-even point within a few years, and thereafter to profitability. What he needs from us is patience, support and encouragement to manage this great Corporation that has been in our blood from birth. I am confident that Sase will continue to “plough” ahead, knowing that the Government and people of Guyana want to see a very successful and profitability Corporation. The CEO has some excellent employees around him, and together, they will make us all proud.
To the CEO, I say continue in the rebuilding of this piece of the vineyard, which we all call GuySuCo.

Sincerely,
Charles Sugrim, CPA

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