Mr. Peter S. Charles recently contributed a highly important public service letter in the Chronicle when he pointed out that monopolies, by their nature, have an overwhelming tendency all over the world, to wring excessive profits from the consumer.

This necessitates both government and the consumers to be extraordinarily vigilant to protect the nation.

The flour monopoly, as a monopoly controlling an essential item of food for the Guyanese people, needs to be kept under the microscope at all times.

This is especially so as the flour monopoly seems to have had a history of corruption as to when an employee of the flour monopoly had allegedly extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars per week, a motor car and other ‘gifts’ from consumers as was indicated in a letter published in the Guyana Chronicle a few days ago.

If purchasers of flour or any other monopoly product were to be exploited or suffer extortions they have a number of agencies which the government has established to protect citizens where they could lodge complaints. Such agencies are the Consumers Division of the Ministry of Trade, the Competition Commission, the Consumer Association, or the Ministers themselves. Corruption and injustice must be stamped out in Guyanese society and as President Jagdeo has said, no wicked one is too big to be touched.