In a Facebook live session on Monday night, President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh addressed what they referred to as the “double standards” of some members of the opposition during the 2024 budget debates in the National Assembly last week. Specifically, the two leaders honed in on the opposition’s hypocritical stance on the performance of the sugar and bauxite industries.
Both men set the record straight on what they handed over to the APNU+AFC regime in 2015 as well as what they inherited in 2020. President Ali emphasized the importance of not letting the history of these industries be rewritten by those who, according to him, had comprehensively destroyed them. He accused some Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) of seeking a political narrative that positions them as champions of the industries and their workers.
The head-of-state said, “(Let’s) analyze some of the facts surrounding the bauxite and sugar industries so that the selfish desires of those who now seek to rewrite themselves as promoters of the industry would be exposed.”
Focusing on a bauxite sector a slideshow, Ali highlighted the decline in employment from over 1,200 persons in 2014 during the PPP/C government’s rule to just over 600 in 2020 under the APNU+AFC government due to mismanagement and the closure of Russian Aluminum’s (RUSAL) operations in the Berbice River.
As a result of the Coalition’s high handedness, anti-investor and anti-worker posture, Dr. Singh said RUSAL pulled the plug on the Berbice River production.
Another slide by President Ali showed that for the period 1979 and 1992, average production was 1,523,000 metric tones. In 1993 to 2014 average production grew to almost 2 million metric tones per annum, this then reduced to 1,483,000 metric tones during 2014 to 2020.
“Look at what happened during their period in office…50% of the people who were enjoying a livelihood from the industry the PPP/C left in 2015 when we came back in office they lost their jobs,” Ali said.
“And who was in charge when we had the sharpest decline(in bauxite production), this same bunch of political opportunists who are speaking now…” he added.
President Ali and Senior Minister Dr. Singh then presented a positive outlook for the bauxite sector, projecting 60% growth in 2024, as the government encourages investment and implements a policy framework to reignite confidence in the industry.
“The investment that we’re making in things like gas, and energy and electricity and bringing down the cost of electricity will once again make it viable for Guyana to get back into aluminum production,” Dr Singh said.
He added, “So there are already a number of conversations taking place about other bauxite producing locations including in the Berbice River, where we are trying to get an investor to go back in.”
On the sugar front, President Ali criticized the previous administration’s decision to close sugar estates, pointing out the significant impact on workers.
President Ali played a video with AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, speaking in the National Assembly that the shutting down of the sugar estates was transformational. “That’s his philosophy…this is a man and a government that sent home thousands of workers,” Ali said.
The discussion he led with Dr Singh also included statistics on job losses and income decline, with President Ali asserting that the current government is actively working to recreate jobs and improve the skill levels of workers.
A video featuring former sugar factory workers sharing their experiences highlighted the human impact of the decisions made in previous years.
President Ali said, “Very soon we will be collaborating with the union and Workers so we can find a mechanism through which we can improve and increase the wages of these workers not only the more than 25,000 people lost their livelihood during that period,” Ali said.
“We are not saying that sugar is not a challenge; this is a major challenge for us but we are committed to ensuring that we succeed,” he added.
President Ali also noted that government is open to criticism, but it must constructive. He added that the narrative that seeks to mislead the facts of history on the industries will not be allowed.
