GUYSUCO: A rudderless ship

Oct 10, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

GUYSUCO is a rudderless ship tossed and battered amidst the growing storm which has raged furiously, engulfed it mercilessly and now threatened to destroy it.

No doubt this will eventually result in closure even before the closed estates are reopened.

GUYSUCO is the company in Guyana which the Government is totally committed to resuscitate to save and provide a sustained livelihood for thousands of Guyanese and where billions of dollars are pumped into to ensure its survival and viability. There are allegations that it is now managed by a ‘one-man army’ who is hell-bent on doing his ‘own thing’.  There has been no Board since the infamous ‘buse and cuss down’ a few months ago which resulted in the resignation of both the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Board and which sent shock waves on YouTube.

There has been a hand-picked Committee which was appointed by the President in June, but which functioned briefly and then faded into oblivion due to the lack of commitment by its members due to a display of arrogance from the top brass. Editor, how can the Government allow this to happen when billions of taxpayers’ dollars are at stake, with no oversight and no strategic direction, both short and long term? Never in the history of GUYSUCO has the Industry been allowed to manage without a Board and with one man wielding absolute power and authority. There are many wrong decisions made which will do no good for the ailing company. I have written ad nauseam on this.

There is now a deafening silence of the issues raised with regard to the unsuitable cane-loaders mentioned in my previous letter among other issues. Operators at both estates, Blairmont and Albion have bluntly refused to operate these ‘alien’ machines. I would relish a statement from GUYSUCO in this issue.

I will continue to write since Guyanese have made great sacrifices to ensure the survival of  GUYSUCO and the sacrifices made by our foreparents must not be drowned in the current tsunami.

Your sincerely,

Narendra Lall