Dear Editor,

Mr Nowrang Persaud, in his letter which appeared in the May 30, 2018, Guyana Times, contended that for the sugar industry to return to its “halcyonic days” it must either be privatized or managed by an independent management contractor. Having read some of Mr Persaud’s letters in the press, over time, I gather that his stance is fuelled largely by his own experience.

I recall him writing about being those selected in pursuit of the ‘Guyanisation’ of the sugar industry. Indeed, I imagine for him and those selected, it was a terrific honour and certainly a privilege to be invited to join the then foreign owners in managing the industry. The atmosphere at such managerial level for Mr Persaud, who previously spoke of his humble beginnings, must have been an entirely exciting new experience. It is, therefore, not surprising to me that Mr Persaud and those of his ilk would advocate a return to those times.

But while Mr Persaud speaks about the “halcyonic” times of private ownership, for the masses it was a completely different world and time. History speaks about the attitude, contempt and disdain the then owners, and even some of the promoted Guyanese managers, had for the workers. Every advancement or gain secured was not given charitably or gratuitously as some make it seem, but, on the contrary, was birthed in the struggles of the workers.

In a few days’ time, the Enmore Martyrs would be recalled and is an incident which serves to remind us of where we have come from and what workers went through in order to secure decent lives. That struggle led to several improvements that emanated not from the plantocracy, but from the Venn Commission which had first-hand look at the squalid living conditions and the abhorrent working conditions of the time.

Certainly, if things were as good as Mr Persaud says they were then, workers wouldn’t have called for and supported the nationalization of the industry. The workers wouldn’t have had the need to struggle to be treated fairly. Workers, undoubtedly, wouldn’t have lost their lives as they sought justice for themselves and their families. Unlike Mr Persaud’s [view], for the workers, private ownership was far from “halcyonic”; in fact, they were downright abominable.

Yours faithfully,
Patricia Persaud