Dear Editor,
After many years of attempting to solve the profitability problem at GuySuCo the red ink remains. Comrade Ali has yet to find an effective solution for the sugar industry in our country. Costs remain high and price pressures continue to increase. Value added- production is lacking and lagging while our competitors continue to move up the value chain. GuySuCo will continue to be left behind if serious changes do not occur. Key opportunities that are available to the industry have suffered from poor and slow execution which prevents a sustainable competitive advantage from being gained. Comrade Ali and his administration clearly do not have the correct approach and the focus required to turn this key industry around. With oil and gas being the leading sector for financial gains, the sugar industry is now exposed to the “Dutch Disease” and will most likely not see an effective turnaround under this administration.
CRG had recommended focusing on niche high value markets where a competitive advantage could be gained over the competition in the industry. Unfortunately, comrade Ali and his administration have not executed on these opportunities and as a result GuySuCo continues to struggle financially and has difficulty meeting their financial obligations. The most recent solution proposed by comrade Ali does not consider the problems faced by the workers and the union but instead suggests that they are the source of the problems faced by the industry in Guyana. If the union follows the suggestion made by our comrade and they fail to make the estate profitable, the next step will be one that takes them down the path of an estate closure. We must avoid the tricks and non-committal comments of a leader void of real solutions. He has yet to follow through with his threat to management that “heads will roll”. A similar strong-arm approach was taken with the 5 am meeting with contractors. Threatening language and angry tirades should not be needed if the leader is effective. These comments do not foster cooperation in finding a solution nor do they encourage a transparent discussion on the problems faced within GuySuCo. Instead, the comment made by comrade Ali shows a lack of his ability to effectively lead others, and it mocks the sugar workers and the union as he did with the holiday cash grant. Do not forget to be respectful to those who have made it possible for you to be where you are today.
We do not need another Burnham to stoke fear and create an environment where our people are afraid to make decisions and speak up. Empty rhetoric and ineffective leadership are not a solution for our sugar industry. Comrade Ali is clearly not qualified for his current role. An issue that was extensively presented when he was nominated for the presidency while also facing multiple charges for corruption. It is ok for the Guyanese public to have buyer’s remorse. President Ali has failed us, and we should be demanding better from the government.
Time must be taken to find an effective solution that all stakeholders involved can jointly develop and support. The President has now shown the public that he is incapable of getting things done properly. Comrade Ali has had over five years with surplus resources to make GuySuCo profitable, to prevent further flooding and to provide our people with a livable wage. He has failed us on all three of these critical issues. Instead, he has spent enormous amounts of money on superficial things that have been poorly done. A populist approach to development may garner votes in the short term, but it will eventually be unmasked and lead to financial instability. We must reject this approach and demand better for our nation. Comrade Ali and his administration must choose two or three critical problems faced by our country and focus on permanently solving them during the remainder of their term in office.
CRG suggests that ending the flooding along the coastal plain be one of the critical problems Comrade Ali focuses on permanently solving between now and the next presidential elections. Will it happen? Probably not. Unfortunately, he has become someone who wants to take the country down a path of becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none. If we continue to follow his approach our nation will not be able to compete with the best over the long term. Maybe he will try to leave a legacy that is positive and finally get it done properly.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
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