AFC caught in a compromising position giving APNU some sugar
OLD KAI has caught the AFC and APNU red-handed in their dirty scheme to close down the sugar industry under the pretext that they are calling for transformation. The only transformation they want to see is our cane fields being abandoned and thousands of sugar workers on the breadline. This fits in to their overall ‘collateral damage’ and making Guyana ‘ungovernable’ plan.Let us look at the facts; in the lead-up to the last elections, APNU made it clear that the sugar industry and, by extension, the workers were not its interest.
On May 11, 2011, addressing a business luncheon organised by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, PNC/APNU leader David Granger stated , “I would like to get out of…state-owned sugar. I don’t think this is the concern of the state… I don’t think there is any place for state ownership of those things anymore; certainly not under David Granger (as President).”
This policy of abandoning the sugar industry and casting it out like an unwanted step-child should the opposition go into Government was further reaffirmed by APNU Member of Parliament, Carl Greenidge, who, during the 2013 budget debates loudly proclaimed in the National Assembly that “sugar workers are your (PPP/C) problem not ours”.
Throughout these threats to the sugar industry by APNU, the AFC remained silent as a mouse. They never opened their mouths to oppose the plans by their partners in the National Assembly or ever tried to defend the sugar workers against the attack by Greenidge.
In fact, the AFC leaders, such as Moses and Ramjattan, scoffed at the proposals by the PPP to provide $4 billion in funding to the industry so as to continue its modernisation plan. They ridiculed the effort.
After their efforts failed to close down the sugar industry, APNU dramatically shifted its plan of attack by now proposing that the industry should be converted to a ‘fish farm’ and possibly ‘ethanol production’.
The AFC immediately chimed in with their strong support of APNU’s plans.
Let us stick a pin at this moment and recall during the instigation period of the Linden unrest, it was no other than Khemraj Ramjattan who went on Capitol News to proclaim how the PPP/C Government was doing everything for ‘sugar workers in Berbice’ and nothing for Lindeners which amounted to racial discrimination.
This lie was subsequently exposed and even recently APNU and its Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon publicly admitted the many plans for Linden by the PPP/C Government and the bright future ahead for bauxite.
But let us contrast Khemraj’s statement in 2012 that ‘plenty’ was being done by the PPP/C Government for sugar workers and the AFC’s about-turn in 2014, when it is now accusing the very PPP of ‘strangling’ the sugar industry.
This is the extent of the devious politics being practiced by the opposition, particularly Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo and their small clique within the party.
It does not end there, as in their initial rush to support APNU, an article appearing on iNews noted that Khemraj Ramjattan contended, “the (PPP/C) Government is fighting to keep the industry alive because it feels that it needs to provide employment for its supporters who are largely cane cutters.”
Why would they even mention this if they did not have a problem with the PPP/C ‘fighting to keep the industry alive’? If they have a problem with the industry being kept alive, it is easy to surmise that they are in support of closing it down.
Not only sugar workers, but all citizens need to know these facts as we are informed in an about- turn one day later when Moses Nagamootoo attempted to do damage control for Khemraj Ramjattan by concluding that the AFC leader did not mean what he said initially and they were still interested in saving the sugar industry.
Should we believe them now?
Ok, even if we were to go out on a limb and give Moses the benefit of the doubt, how can he explain the contradictory statement by his pal Prak-a-lak Ramjattan that: “They (PPP/C) want to keep them (sugar workers) in that morass forever so as to garner votes so they are trying to paint the Opposition as if they have no care for people; but if the government cared, they would have transformed the sector ever since, they are too hard ears”.
This is a very contradictory statement and it is riddled with outright lies. Let us examine it in detail. The first aspect which jumps out at the average reader is that it is impossible that a political party will make its constituents suffer so as to maintain their support. This defies logic and basic common sense; but then again, it is Prak-a-lak we are dealing with.
The second is a blatant lie by Ramjattan in accusing the PPP/C Government for trying to paint the opposition as ‘if they have no care for people (sugar workers)’.
It was no other than Ramjattan’s squaddie, Carl Greenidge, who stood up in the National Assembly and proclaimed this fact, that ‘sugar workers were the PPP’s problem not the Opposition’s. Ramjattan, Moses and the entire AFC stood there in Parliament and never uttered a word to oppose him; so, why now come and flaunt, flounce up, twist up their mouths and pretend it never happened.
Then another misleading impression given is that transformation of the industry has not started. The AFC is on record as criticising every aspect of the sugar modernization plan, so how come suddenly ‘the PPP/C hard ears as it should have transformed the sector ever since’?
This is the two faced nature of the AFC; they attacked the Skeldon project; they attacked the Enmore packaging plant; they attacked efforts to mechanise the harvesting operations of the industry; they ridiculed efforts to provide funding for the modernisation effort; they tried to get Irfaan Ali barred from Parliament and jailed because his Ministry assisted the sugar industry; they attacked the competence of the overseas experts brought in to assist with the projects; they attacked their salaries; they attacked the local management and their capacity; they then shifted and attacked the overseas experts again.
Clearly, nothing will satisfy the AFC and APNU until the entire industry is closed, with the hope that people who support the PPP/C from this industry will turn their backs on the party. This is how low the Opposition will stoop to destroy people’s livelihoods, just so they can have another opening to attack the ruling party.
They will never succeed; and just like everything else so far, the PPP/C Government and GuySuCo’s management will be vindicated as Old Kai knows that in another three to four years, 400,000 tonnes of sugar will be achieved for the first time in our history.
The AFC and APNU will be there, clapping along, saying we were always confident this would happen. Congratulations.