‘I have done everything humanly possible’
Minister with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott
Minister with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott

— to resolve Belle Vue Co-op Society issue, says Minister Scott

MINISTER with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, said the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) has “done everything humanly, morally and legally possible” to resolve the decade-long dispute that has plagued the Belle Vue Cane Farmers Marketing Co-op Society (BCFMCS) and now considers the matter settled.

The minister, on Wednesday, issued a statement in response to a letter to the editor from Shyam Balkarran, who accused to MoSP and other authorities of not stopping the “destruction and illegal occupation” of land owned by the society.
The minister; however, notes that Balkarran, notwithstanding his advocacy for the land, is not a member of the BCFMCS.

“I am of the considered opinion that the Ministry of Social Protection has done everything humanly, morally and legally possible to resolve the issues which hindered the functioning of the Belle Vue Co-op Societies for years. We cannot afford to allow any individual who has no standing in the matter to perpetually obstruct the smooth functioning of the society,” the minister said.

The co-op is currently headed by Chairman, Deodat Deokinandan. The BCFMCS dispute began in 2009, stemming from the sale of co-op land to Deokinandan, popularly known as “Beardman”. The land is owned by GuySuCo but leased to the co-op society.

Earlier this year, Minister Scott; Chief Co-op Officer, Perlina Gifth, and a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office, met with the two disputing sides continuously after tensions boiled over when the two sides clashed to the point of police involvement earlier in February.

CONSIDERED RESOLVED
The minister held a meeting in April and a subsequent meeting in May and considers the issue resolved.

“I believe that the ministry has already expended vast amounts of resources in addressing this matter which should now be considered closed, without any further treatment. To do otherwise, would be subscribing to an abuse of authority and goodwill, which we can ill afford,” Minister Scott said.

“Over the years, the ministry, in conjunction with the legitimate members of the society, would develop workable solutions which were acceptable to the stakeholders.”

Farmers disputing the validity of the current BCFMCS are said to have signed documents and verbally indicated that they no longer want to pursue the dispute. Deokinandan is said to have bought the lands of some 15 members of the co-op whose membership was terminated because they owed the society.

Over the years, affected farmers have contended that the land was repossessed and then sold without due process.  In 2011, then Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, commissioned an enquiry into the situation. The issue was taken to the then Cabinet where the decision was taken for the affected farmers to receive compensation. All but one of the affected farmers has acknowledged that they received monetary compensation, ranging from $500,000 – $1,500,000.

REFUSED
Deokinandan has contended that the farmers were asking for their lands to be returned and when asked to return the compensation they received, the farmers refused to do so.
In 2017, the disputing farmers began planting cash crops on the land. Deokinandan said the farmers were trespassing. He destroyed the crops and fenced the lands. Special Purpose Unit Officer-in-Charge of the Wales Estate, Charles Browne, said the estate was willing to offer the contentious farmers other lands but they refused to accept the offer.
Minister Scott said he has been dealing with the issue for some time now and has heard both sides, multiple times.

“When I joined the management team of the Ministry of Labour as it was in 2014… I encountered serious issues pertaining to the Belle-Vue-Farmers’ Co-operative Society. All interested parties were given hearings and opportunities to be heard before any and every decision was made and I must say that in every instance, the ministry was guided by the rules contained in the Co-operative Societies Act, Chapter 88:01,” Scott explained.

“After several years of engaging all interested parties and stakeholders, the contentious issues were resolved through the conduct of an Annual General Meeting in December 2018 at which a Committee of Management was elected by the legitimate members of the society,” he added.

Scott noted that notwithstanding Balkarran not being a member of the society, he continues to be an agitator of the resolved dispute. The farmers have since indicated that they no longer wish to dispute the matter.

“Balkarran was not residing in Guyana but in Canada. Nevertheless whenever he sought an engagement with the ministry’s officials, he was always facilitated in the interest of finding an amicable solution to the issues which prevailed and even those which emerged, along the way,” Scott said

“Whenever Cde. Balkarran visited Guyana he would instigate some individuals to contest the decisions which were mutually arrived at and which were working smoothly. He would not only encourage them to seek an overturning to decisions but also encourage them to boycott meetings called by the ministry to ventilate their grievances. Some of them… have concluded in a letter dated March 26, 2019 that Mr. Balkarran had misled them.”

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