AGRICULTURE Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy is not wrong in labelling the opposition as being shameless for criticising the subvention for sugar in the 2012 national budget. Sometimes when one hears the mouthings from the opposition, especially on matters of national importance, one is led to believe that these people who are supposed to represent their constituency are honouring their obligation in the breach. It also leads to the sincerity of those politicians who were put in the highest forum of the land to represent the people’s interest. But these absurdities could be expected when children are put to do the job of adults.
We all know about the importance of sugar in terms of our economy and as a world sweetener, and the impact the commodity has on the people of this country. However, when on March 28 last Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh presented the 2012 national budget in parliament with allocations to the various sectors, the opposition has singled out the $4 billion subvention to the Guyana Sugar Corporation for infantile attacks, referring to it as a fiscal bailout. Now, sugar is important and is one of the cornerstones of this country’s economy, and the mind boggles when people who aspire to rule this country fail to see or know sugar more than the commodity being a sweetener.
The history of the development of this country has its roots in the cultivation of sugar since during the time of slavery and indentureship, and generation after generation survived on it over the centuries. Today the sugar industry in Guyana is the largest employer in the country providing employment to more than 120,000 people directly and indirectly. The opposition should revisit the sugar industry in an effort to ascertain its importance to our economy. But true to form, they are intent on blabbering which seems to reflect the nature of their intellect when it comes to tackling matters of national interest and importance.
The Agriculture sector of which sugar is its main player, contributes between seven and ten percent to the country’s economy. Here is the case of a consistent contributor to our economy being shafted by the opposition because there is a $4B subvention for GuySuCo in the budgetary allocation for 2012. Isn’t the opposition mindful of the fact that sugar is the largest foreign exchange earner for Guyana; that it employs a sizable part of Guyana’s population and provides food, shelter and clothing for these people and their families; that a buoyant sugar industry would bring tremendous benefits to thousands of Guyanese; and that the $4B subvention would be utilized for further improvements in the sugar industry?
It is rather strange that the opposition that professes to champion the cause of Guyanese workers is now against money for the biggest employer in the country. We support the Agriculture Minister when he said: “You cannot take seven to ten percent of the economy every time around and then not want to support GuySuCo during its struggle…I think those who are critical of this investment are shameless.” Minister Ramsammy was also quite in order when he insisted that instead of being so critical of the investment, the opposition should be the ones asking why only $4 billion, and added: “Why is it that they are being so critical?  Why don’t they ask why $4 billion? Why not $6 billion?”
These are the very people, who, during the run up to the last election, were clamouring for more for sugar workers. So while at one time they professed to champion the cause of the sugar workers, now when more is sought for the sugar industry, they somersaulted and instead are against any subvention for the sugar corporation.
The message is therefore clear to the sugar workers. Both the APNU and the AFC want to have nothing to do with sugar workers and couldn’t care less about their existence. This is bad because they are criticizing the subvention at a time when the sugar industry is in need to carry out its expansion works. The country’s sugar workers should take a note of who are the friends and act accordingly.