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The levy applied to bauxite as well as sugar.

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March 26,2017

Dear Editor,

The current discussion on the sugar industry vis-Γ -vis the bauxite industry being conducted by the PPP/C is deserving of context. The issue of a levy (ie tax to the state) was applied to sugar and bauxite and came into effect before the Reynolds Bauxite Company in Berbice and the sugar companies (Bookers and Demerara Company) were nationalised. These acts were taken as a major plank in the nation’s developmental thrust towards taking control of its economic destiny. Jamaica, under the leadership of Michael Manley, applied a similar levy to both industries, preceding Guyana in this regard.

The effort to make a case that sugar was discriminated against by placing a levy is mischievous. Politicians need to be told that they must stop making out a case for the future of sugar grounded on partisan premises. The sugar industry belongs to Guyanese, where the initial foundation such as the canals, roadways, farmland, and revenues were built, prepared, cultivated and earned by free labour from the African community, which went on for centuries.

The claim that in the 1980s the state spent billions on the bauxite industry failed to advise that a levy was also applied to bauxite. In claiming discrimination or preferential treatment of a section of workers against another, the society is being advised that in the early 1990s under the PNC government both Linmine and GuySuCo were placed under contract management with the intent of privatising.

In 1992 Guymine produced in excess of 480,000 tonnes of bauxite. On the assumption of the PPP/C to office in October 1992 the Linmine production level was cut for the following year to 250,000 tonnes. This deliberate decision to drastically reduce production was communicated to the bauxite unions by Prime Minister Sam Hinds, who also advised that jobs will be cut.

Clearly here it was not a case where bauxite had a production problem but a deliberate decision taken by the government to reduce production and lay off workers. The decision to reduce production led to the loss of markets, as customary buyers had to go elsewhere to meet their demands. The government made its position very clear that bauxite will be privatised and sugar will remain a state entity.

The sugar and bauxite industries cannot only be looked at within the context of ethnicity and political persuasion. The approach needs to be holistic as to what each means to the country and particularly the communities within which they exist. It was not the community of Linden or the opposition PNC at the time that privatised the steam power plant that provided cheap energy to the people and bauxite operation. It was the PPP/C government.

In privatising the bauxite company in Linden the PPP/C government refused to listen to legitimate concerns and pleas by the workers, residents, unions, then PNC opposition, and others. In the years of negotiating benefits for workers unseen wages are also factored in. In the instance of bauxite workers this included electricity and water. When the PPP/C government took away the cheap reliable supply, concomitantly government shoulders the responsibility to ensure the service is provided.

There was agreement between the unions and state-owned company that an increase in electricity will only be arrived at after agreement between the two parties. The state under the PPP/C never sought to honour this agreement, so in 2012 when the people took to the streets, it was a reminder of government’s failure to govern in good faith.

In the sugar industry every Guyanese, through their ancestors, have given of their sweat and labour. Presently the industry, though comprising a majority of Indians, also has a significant amount of non-Indians. Seeking to resolve its problems and determining a sound way forward would not help pitting Indians against their non-Indian colleagues in the workforce.

Yours faithfully,

Lincoln Lewis

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Mr.T posted:

The PPP drove the workers of Linden into hardship, whilst fattening up those in the cane cutting and processing industry. How long more do we have to wait before Granger shuts down the canefields and distribute the land to former workers in Linden who are in need of a piece of land to buid a dwelling?

SHIT HEAD MUGABE IN LONDON!!!!!!!!

Nehru
GTAngler posted:
Gilbakka posted:

QUOTE: "Carib was right about Linmine-The Bauxite Company."

Carib is right about many things, but some folks don't want to give the man his bean.

Carib + bean = Caribbean 

He was right. The problem is, when is the "do fuh do" going to stop?

I don't think the problem with sugar has to do with "do fuh do" . Without repeating all said regarding this issue...sugar problems  started with the PPP and continues.

cain
Last edited by cain
caribny posted:
GTAngler posted:
Gilbakka posted:

QUOTE: "Carib was right about Linmine-The Bauxite Company."

Carib is right about many things, but some folks don't want to give the man his bean.

Carib + bean = Caribbean 

He was right. The problem is, when is the "do fuh do" going to stop?

When you stop it.

I have been unbiased and call things as I see them on both sides. You unfortunately, every once in a while make a little sense but that is overshadowed by your gross ignorance. Dunces like you are why Guyana is where it is. Now go pull out your dictionary and throw a few words around to mask your stupidity.

GTAngler
GTAngler posted:
caribny posted:
GTAngler posted:
Gilbakka posted:

QUOTE: "Carib was right about Linmine-The Bauxite Company."

Carib is right about many things, but some folks don't want to give the man his bean.

Carib + bean = Caribbean 

He was right. The problem is, when is the "do fuh do" going to stop?

When you stop it.

I have been unbiased and call things as I see them on both sides. You unfortunately, every once in a while make a little sense but that is overshadowed by your gross ignorance. Dunces like you are why Guyana is where it is. Now go pull out your dictionary and throw a few words around to mask your stupidity.

I do not think ivy league schools produce dunces....well Trump is an exception!

FM
GTAngler posted:
 

I have been unbiased and call things as I see them on both sides.

At what point did you acknowledge how badly the PPP treated the bauxite workers and how stigmatized they have been since then?  You didn't and in fact called any conversation involving them to be irrelevant. 

In addition you didn't discuss the sugar and rice industry in terms of  their contribution to Guyana and Guyanese overall. You positioned these industries as the back bone of Indians, as if the ethnic composition of the majority involved should be a factor in what happens to those industries.

Cease your prattling about being unbiased.  You are the one who screamed that only Indians suffered in he 60s, and tried to disguise this with the "as far as I know" nonsense. Any one who knew anything of that period knew full well that both groups participated in violent acts and both groups suffered.  Unless you came from Kazakhstan you must know this, even if you were too young to know personally.

FM
cain posted:
GTAngler posted:
Gilbakka posted:

QUOTE: "Carib was right about Linmine-The Bauxite Company."

Carib is right about many things, but some folks don't want to give the man his bean.

Carib + bean = Caribbean 

He was right. The problem is, when is the "do fuh do" going to stop?

I don't think the problem with sugar has to do with "do fuh do" . Without repeating all said regarding this issue...sugar problems  started with the PPP and continues.

Point taken. It still remains that sugar does provide much needed revenue for Guyana and should be saved even if in part. As I said before, it's needs a major overhaul. 

GTAngler
caribny posted:
GTAngler posted:
 

I have been unbiased and call things as I see them on both sides.

At what point did you acknowledge how badly the PPP treated the bauxite workers and how stigmatized they have been since then?  You didn't and in fact called any conversation involving them to be irrelevant. 

In addition you didn't discuss the sugar and rice industry in terms of  their contribution to Guyana and Guyanese overall. You positioned these industries as the back bone of Indians, as if the ethnic composition of the majority involved should be a factor in what happens to those industries.

Cease your prattling about being unbiased.  You are the one who screamed that only Indians suffered in he 60s, and tried to disguise this with the "as far as I know" nonsense. Any one who knew anything of that period knew full well that both groups participated in violent acts and both groups suffered.  Unless you came from Kazakhstan you must know this, even if you were too young to know personally.

For the last time I WAS NOT HERE during those discussions or my argument would have been the same. Bauxite should never have been privatized. That was another major source of revenue for Guyana. By the way, I don't prattle. Only old racist women like you do.

GTAngler
GTAngler posted:
.

For the last time I WAS NOT HERE during those discussions

And you were here when I raised it. Maybe your response to me should have been to urge that sugar workers be treated with better consideration than were the bauxite workers.

You didn't respond that way, and instead continued on as if the plight of sugar workers was more important than those of other industries.  This after already putting an ethnic spin on the discussion.

 

I note of course the inference that one is racist when one reminds another that Guyana is diverse and that the considerations of ONE ethnic group shouldn't take priority, nor should the ethnic composition of a particular economic sector be relevant to how it is treated.  Continue to prove how Indo centric you are.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

 For the Black KKK - Carib, lincoln lewis, Davis Hings Adam Harris et al.

Dear Editor

I, SAMUEL A. A. Hinds have been differing with many of the views, opinions, interpretations and advocated world view and attitudes of Dr David Hinds. Each person has a right to his/her view, but views should not fly in the face of facts. Allow me once more to state facts which should cause Dr David Hinds and every Guyanese to think again about the paragraph from HINDS’SIGHT in the Sunday Chronicle of October 2nd, 2016 which I quote:β€œThe continued subsidising of the sugar industry in the form of massive bailouts has directly benefitted the mainly Indian-Guyanese community. The PPP never did the same for sectors heavily populated by African Guyanese. In fact, it sought to remove the electricity subsidy from Linden.”

Quite to the contrary, in the particular case of our bauxite sector and communities, Linden and most of Region 10, heavily-populated by African-Guyanese, it can be argued that even if it were only because of circumstances at the time, that area received proportionately larger attention, subsidies and support. We, the PPP/C, were even-handed in what we did, even if for no other reason than that we were being watched continuously from all sides, but I would proffer our commitment to all-round development of all Guyanese and Guyana, with an equitable sharing of whatever our nation has, good and bad.

As I have noted before, we PPP/C in 1992 inherited an agreement entered into between the departed PNC administration and the multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) which funded and placed an international mining manager (IMM), MINPROC, in Linmine. The IMM was to determine and demonstrate whether Linmine could be made profitable or not: if profitable, it was to be privatised, if not, it was to be closed. Government was to extend no further subsidy. When in 1994 Minproc declared that it could see no way to make the operations profitable, we the PPP/C would have been expected to close the operations but we didn’t. Our oath of office required us to treat everyone without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. We knew the trauma which an abrupt closure, although not unanticipated, would have brought to our fellow citizens in Linden/Region10.

After the Minproc declaration, of no sight of profitability, we pursued a third MFI intervention: one to develop alternatives for Linden after the failure of the two earlier interventions to restore the bauxite operations to profitability. Early in our term, the young Bharat Jagdeo himself had led a team to learn of the socio-economic situation and future possibilities in Linden. This study provided the basis for this third approach (SYSMINS) which eventually materialised in LEAP, including LEAF. The PPP/C had to argue strongly against concerns that the people of Linden were not yet ready to be converted from being employees in a 100% company town to entrepreneurs in an open town.

Whilst continuing to subsidise the company, improvements were pushed along and all non-core activities completely removed – health, education, electricity, water – and taken up by appropriate ministries and agencies of the Government. We began reconciling and clearing arrears of a number of accounts – the worker’s saving scheme, PAYE to GRA, GBPP(Guyana Bauxite Pension Plan), NIS, and setting aside termination payments at the eventual privatisation, altogether about G$2.5billion. We advertised twice without success for credible interest in taking an equity position in the company. It may also be recalled that about 10 years ago, we redeemed the bonds issued to ALCAN at the time of nationalisation.

All the while we were additionally and separately subsidising electricity at increasing amounts approaching G$ 3billion per year. In 1992, we received the steam-power station and other electricity facilities very run down, as there had been little if any money for maintenance during the preceding years. We advertised and sought a core investor to restore a good supply of electricity in Linden. As it happened, the selected bidder brought little improvement: we terminated the agreement and regained some losses in an arbitration hearing.

After a number of successful contract arrangements, we and OMAI/CAMBIOR entered into an agreement by which OMAI/CAMBIOR gained a 70% equity position in the core bauxite operations renamed OBMI. All went well until sales fell precipitously and OBMI announced a two-month shut-down. We the PPP/C stepped in and provided basic pay to all workers requiring only that everyone from sweeper to manager spend some hours each week attending or providing an appropriate level course on the operations and use of computers. One of my political commentator friends was moved to lament in a letter (somewhat tongue in cheek I thought) that we PPP/C were pointing Afro-Guyanese to the IT future whilst working to keep Indo-Guyanese in the past, cutting cane – the hewers of wood and draughters of water.

When parent company CAMBIOR itself was in trouble, and was bought by another, the order was to sell off the bauxite operations or shut it down within about six months. We were again very concerned. We readily met the potential replacements brought by CAMBIOR and provided our no-objection in good time to their choice of BOSAI. (to be continued tomorrow)

Regards
Samuel A. A. Hinds
Former President & Former Prime Minister

 
 
R

 More for the BBB KKK,

Prime Minister Hinds rebuts charges over dealings with bauxite workers

Guyana Chronicle
June 11, 2002


R 

PRIME Minister Sam Hinds, who has responsibility for mining, has rejected, as β€œuntruthful and without substance”, charges of deceit, victimisation and racism laid against the Government for its dealings with bauxite industry communities.

Speaking to a small media corps at his Wight’s Lane, Kingston, Georgetown office, he said Government has tried its best to be β€œrealistic” in satisfying made promises.

Referring to a recently distributed pamphlet, which said bauxite workers will die as result of the current crisis facing the industry, Mr Hinds pointed to sums of money put in by Government to maintain the operations and largely upkeep essential social services, including water and electricity, particularly at Linden.

He said subsidies amounting to some US$3M were poured into Linden Mining Enterprise (LINMINE), prior to 1992, to satisfy demands and more was added, amounting to US$100M, since then.

The Prime Minister said there were instances when Government exercised restraint, especially over calls for intervention into the operations of administrators at the regional level.

He said racist allegations are constantly made against Government, predominantly during budget debates, but he rebutted them, saying the Administration has always dealt β€œeven-handedly” with its monetary allocations to communities countrywide.

Dealing specifically with the privatisation of LINMINE, Hinds said the previous People’s National Congress (PNC) Government, in its Economic Recovery Programme (ERP), had agreed to reconstitute GUYMINE and BERMINE and privatise LINMINE.

He said the aim was to find a partner that would bring about a new start and make the organistaion β€œleaner”, more appropriate to the volumes of production and profitable.

Mr Hinds emphasised the undesirability of having people employed with a company that requires β€œcontinuous significant subsidies” and said there would be benefits from the sale of LINMINE.

Reporting on the ongoing negotiations between Government and Cambior, to effect a deal, he said the agreement signed would open the door to a more detailed study which, if successful, should lead to the evolution of a new company.

He said all severed employees would be paid according to the union agreement, 80 per cent of five weeks pay per year to a maximum of 52 weeks.

Meantime, talks are continuing with the union and management to work out a better package.

β€œGovernment has taken a position that employees should be allowed the facility to manage their affairs without fear of loss of severance,” he assured.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said he gave the undertaking that workers can presently opt for voluntary severance but they will remain eligible for any additional benefits finally derived.

Mr Hinds noted that there has been a shortfall in provision of pension benefits in excess of 20 years now and Government has made a commitment to make up the difference, a preliminary estimate of which is US$5M, for the pension scheme, National Insurance Scheme, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and thrift plan payments.

 

R
caribny posted:
GTAngler posted:
.

For the last time I WAS NOT HERE during those discussions

And you were here when I raised it. Maybe your response to me should have been to urge that sugar workers be treated with better consideration than were the bauxite workers.

You didn't respond that way, and instead continued on as if the plight of sugar workers was more important than those of other industries.  This after already putting an ethnic spin on the discussion.

 

I note of course the inference that one is racist when one reminds another that Guyana is diverse and that the considerations of ONE ethnic group shouldn't take priority, nor should the ethnic composition of a particular economic sector be relevant to how it is treated.  Continue to prove how Indo centric you are."

" Maybe your response to me" ..........that's rich.......you're not even a who, you're a what. Maybe if you were someone whose opinion I valued or whom I had an iota or regard for I would care but you're an ignorant, narrow minded, racist bigot and that coupled with your dogmatic attitude and your inability to read simple English and discern the meaning has proven time and time again that you're just a simpleton and not worth the oxygen you're wasting. I cleaned litter with a higher IQ than you from my cat's litter box this morning. You are a racist no matter what you say or try to prove otherwise. The old PNC ship that you sailed on has sunk and with even all that bilge you spew daily, it still won't ever float again.  Your ignorance prevents you from understanding that YOU started with the Indo label. By the way, I am still in my Indo-Guyanese cave waiting for you to pull me out.

GTAngler
Drugb posted:

Caribj is a fraud, he peddle lies about indians and seek validation from slop can carriers. 

Really.  I see nothing that the PPP did for LINMINE that APNU isn't currently already doing for Guysuco.  This includes sugar workers making salaries way in excess of these even earned by some professionals, even as their productivity levels do not merit this.

At this point there has NOT been a redundancy of 80% of the industry as did happen with the bauxite industry.  LEAP was a huge waste of funds. What industries evolved from it? Note that in 2001 Linden had the highest concentration of skilled workers in Guyana and its peoples had the second highest levels of educational attainment behind Region 4.  The PPP should have made Linden into an export processing zone, encouraging a manufacturing base, instead of trying to take away the supposed cheap electricity which all, including BOSAI, benefit from.

So druggie Guysuco should be sold off and the sugar workers be given cheap electricity, but no help in transitioning to other economic activities.  Given them the few weeks severance pay that Sam Hinds thinks is so good.

No wonder they ran Sam Hinds out of Linden.

FM
GTAngler posted:
.

" Maybe your response to me" ..........that's rich.......you're not even a who, you're a what. ..

I see. You cannot offer anything more coherent than personal abuse.

Sure sign that you really don't have any way to escape that Indo centric cave that you fled into, fooled into thinking that GNI was a forum where this behavior would be indefinitely tolerated.

And you cannot even define why you think I am a racist.  Telling you why you are Indo centric isn't racist behavior!

FM

I don't expect a racist to say that he is racist same as drunk people never think they are drunk. I made a statement and you jumped on it because I used the word Indo. You totally disregarded everything else and my subsequent explanations. You took it up it up to the personal level and now you're crying? YOU labelled me Indo-KKK and told me I was in my Indo-KKK cave. I don't suppose you remember any of that. In spite of that, I was still adult enough to agree whenever you made sense. I am not here to play the blame game. I am looking to the future and hope that the past mistakes can be corrected not dwelt upon. Cease your incessant cackling and try some Rid-X for that septic tank between your ears.

GTAngler

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