-President Ali tells Rose Hall residents, announces plans for further economic empowerment of sugar workers

REIMAGINING the future of the sugar industry and the lives of workers, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has pledged a transformative approach to economic empowerment, declaring that in the next five years, employees will not merely earn a wage, but become co-investors and part-owners in their own future.

Speaking to residents during a spirited public meeting in the historic sugar town of Rose Hall, Berbice, the President emphasised the deep-rooted sacrifices of generations who toiled in the cane fields from indentureship to independence, and offered a new promise of shared prosperity.

“We want, in the next five years, our workers not only to have a salary from the sugar estate, but to help them to get newer forms of income by co-investing with them, and giving them an opportunity to be part of their ownership,” the Head of State told the mammoth gathering.

The initiative aims to shift sugar workers from being labourers bound to the estate to entrepreneurs shaping their own destiny.
Pointing to a series of initiatives and programmes ranging from education to healthcare, the President reminded of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) development agenda.
“We have a clear plan of building and transferring wealth for every single household, so everyone can have a better standard of living,” President Ali said.

He urged residents to not “succumb” to lies; promises that will be made from opposing political parties as the countdown to the September 1 polls narrows, but to examine the policies, plans, and track record of political leaders.

“Ask yourselves who stood with you every time you needed a friend, whether you’re a farmer, a sugar worker, a teacher, a public servant,” the Head of State said.
Dr. Ali stressed that continued support for a second term of the PPP/C administration is a guarantee for progress.

“You in this region are voting for your own medical school, your own engineering school, two bridges; one across the Berbice River, one across the Corentyne River. Your own four-lane road, your own stadium, your own Level Five hospital,” the President said.

He added: “You’re voting to keep sugar and own a part of it. You’re voting for your small and medium-sized enterprises to see a government that will invest in you to build your businesses.”
Last month, President Ali had announced plans to leverage the existing human capital and technology of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), making it a hub of rural development.
Dr. Ali believes there are exciting opportunities for crop diversification, skills diversification, and income diversification.

The sugar industry provides jobs not just for harvesters, but also for welders, mechanics, clerks, drivers, technicians and engineers.
“Sugar ensures the circulation of money in rural communities; money that pays for transportation for children to get to and from school, buys groceries, supports households, and keeps businesses alive. It sustains families, many of whom have been part of this industry for generations,” President Ali said in June.

In 2016, the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government closed four GuySuCo sugar estates: Wales, East Demerara, Rose Hall, and Skeldon.
This had significantly impacted thousands of workers and their communities, leading to widespread social and economic hardships.

The PPP/C government has since invested heavily in the industry to revitalise it, including reopening some estates and rehiring workers.