June 3rd, 2013 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The recent comments by both President Ramotar and GAWU Chief Komal Chand on the salary of Chairman of GuySuCo Mr. Raj Singh come with an excessive tinge of suspicion and maybe a big dose of collusion. It is to satisfy disgruntled sugar workers that GAWU and, in the same breath, the President, are doing something about the new arrangement of installing Raj Singh as an Executive Chairman with a whooping $25,000 US per month. Both their utterances are merely to placate sugar workers that these supposed champions of the working class have not done a complete somersault and become champions of the bourgeousie and big business.
First of all, the sugar company does not need an Executive Chairman in its present circumstances. Sugar workers must understand that this development is to ensure  a bypass be created, avoiding the reporting by the Chief Executive to a Board, which then reports to the Minister. President Ramotar wants a direct contact with the CEO. In other words he wants direct and complete control! This is the sole purpose of the re-configuration. In the President's thinking the present Board matters not one iota. And in my opinion, too, constituted as it is by so many 'jagabats', that Board will take the industry nowhere. It must be overhauled and a new set of professionals, qualified in the special needs areas of the industry, and without party partisanship, be installed.
Secondly, on the question of the salary itself, the President with slyness that reeks of a past President behind it all, has re-negotiated a salary of $15,000 US tax-free for Raj Singh! So instead of $25,000 US per month which would have been  taxable, it will now be $15,000 tax-free. Well if that is not the same thing, tell me what is! At a 30% individual rate, it comes to the same thing.
Thirdly, it is, as Dr. Cheddie would have said, jobs for the boys all over again. Raj Singh has no qualification for Executive Chairmanship of the biggest company  in Guyana. The man never ran a business in his life. Being a lecturer who went on a one year sabbatical from his university to fly in every month to be Chairman of GuySuCo (just for a year because he never resigned from his job), cannot be sufficient to elevate him to Executive Chairman. His only claim to fame is his friendship with the President, and his leadership of the Association of Concerned Guyanese, that  is, the PPP group in New York! This thing smacks exactly akin to Fip Motilall and roads! Yes... and like Bernard Kerik and security!
Fourthly, the AFC will want to see that contract so we can show it to sugar workers so that they can compare it with theirs. I hope the President does not plead commercial confidentiality. For all you know he may use his right to object under his new found no-objection prerogative. [END]