Dear Editor,
ON December 11, 2021 Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, posted on his Facebook page “Today (I) spearheaded the distribution of the government’s one-off grant of G$250,000 to severed sugar workers at the Enmore Administration office with Minister of Agriculture Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha.”

The promised cash grant was first announced by Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, during a meeting with severed workers months prior to great outcry and divisive inciting rhetoric by the Coalition cabal and their satellites, media inclusive.

However, despite malicious comments and negative responses by opportunists with political agendas, this one-off cash grant is a mere palliative for sugar workers who endured years-long travails – even seeing their children go hungry and their children’s education truncated; as well as homes and household appurtenances re-possessed because of the consequences of the Coalition government’s vindictive closure of the sugar estates.

Ramjattan spilled the reason for killing the industry in Parliament when he blasted the PPP/C for wanting to save the sector because workers comprised “your people”, meaning PPP/C supporters, disregarding the fact that this equation had changed and that their Coalition  had only gotten into office through the support of sugar workers.

This cash grant is the government’s commitment to somewhat alleviate the burdens of the retrenched sugar workers by providing them with an impetus to upgrade their circumstances by investing in initiatives that best suit their needs.

Government’s commitment to rebuild and restructure the sugar industry is moving apace with re-opening of estates and incrementally re-hiring of employees.

At the meeting to initiate disbursement of the cash grants the Finance Minister lambasted the former PNC-led Coalition Government as he asserted that the closure of estates by the APNU+AFC Administration was a most callous and unconscionable act committed against workers, including thousands of persons working in the industry as well as tens of thousands living in communities that depend on the industry, resulting in social and economic hardships of rural Demerara and Berbice (sugar-producing communities), with rippling effects throughout Guyana.

Today, hope has been resuscitated of repeals of oppressive diktats that ensued in the years long agony of sugar-producing communities as the Irfaan Ali-led administration is determined to give opportunities to all Guyanese to finally achieve “a good life” – a pre-election promise that had been honoured in the breach by the Coalition Government.
Yours very truly,
Attiya Baksh