By Francis Q Farrier
THERE is that song that extolls the virtues of sugar with lyrics which state, “Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at supper time. Be my little sugar and love me all the time.” And in this article, we bring you some of the stories of sugar production in Guyana, out of the Boardrooms of King Sugar as related by Dr Ian McDonald. A marketing professional, Dr. McDonald has made sterling contributions in the marketing of Guyana’s sugar on the world market for many decades, and for which he received the National Award of the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA). Not many of the younger citizens are aware that McDonald was not born in Guyana, but rather in Trinidad. But that really does not matter. “I came to Guyana and worked in the sugar industry in the mid-1950s,” he informed me. So, just pause and reflect on that fact. Ian McDonald has been working and residing in Guyana for over half a century.

He experienced the industry as it blossomed and bloomed and as it was transformed by the Jock Campbell revolution, which many who are not even involved with the sugar industry were aware of. “It was a wonderful time of change and new ideas and betterment,” McDonald declared. “I remember going to work every day looking forward to the work to be done and the promise of improvements.” The marketing of much of the sugar produced in British Guiana was the major responsibility of the young Ian McDonald, and it improved even as the sweet commodity was very much in demand in Europe through the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, and subsequently the European Union (EU) Sugar Protocol which resulted in much better and more stable prices.

That success brought better wages and conditions and financial returns for the local sugar companies and British Guiana as a whole. The sugar workers were also better off, as they received higher wages and better working conditions. Dr Ian McDonald further alluded to the many new housing schemes, with a potable water supply and better medical facilities. There was also a network of improved roads where the sugar workers lived. The sub-human logies in which the sugar workers resided in the old colonial days also became a thing of the past. Relating other developments in the sugar industry during the pre and post-independence era of Guyana, Ian McDonald stated, “It was a time of great achievement and optimism.”

The personal life of Ian McDonald can also be similarly described. He has given much to the literature of the country, especially with his poems and prize-winning publications. He has written many poems, some of them now published works that chronicle his love for his adopted country, especially the Essequibo River area near Bartica, where he spends many happy and relaxing times with family and friends. Somewhat of a romantic, he has also written a love poem to his wife Mary. He has also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) since 1970. Ian McDonald has further made a significant contribution to sports in Guyana, especially in lawn tennis.

His long tennis career included his captaining teams to the Guyana and West Indies Davis Cups.  However, whenever you dip up a spoon of sugar for your coffee, you can realise that from the sugar workers who plant and harvest the sugar canes and those who work all through the process from field, factory and boardroom to your breakfast table, Dr Ian McDonald most likely had a part of the complex but sweet process.