Visa denial issue…Lall at odds with GMSA, PSC over ‘malicious’ act
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) will only provide an official comment on the perceived “malicious act” by the Jagdeo regime to stifle the operation of a confectionery company, when Glenn Lall makes an official report to the sector.
Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall
Further, when Lall becomes a member of the GMSA or PSC, he will also enjoy the support of these two entities. This comment followed a public statement and later a complaint by Lall, the pioneer of the said confectionery company, that former President Bharrat Jagdeo and his High Commissioner to India, Ronald Gajraj, denied visas to the Indian engineers that he (Lall) contracted to come to Guyana. They were coming to set up the machinery and provide technical assistance. However, Lall has stated that he will not make any official report to either the Private Sector Commission or the GMSA. He said that he sees the bodies as “just toothless poodles.” At the launching of Sueria Manufacturing Inc., the confectionery company, at its Eccles Industrial Site location on Saturday, Lall said that the visa denials by the Jagdeo regime were because the company was connected to him. President of the GMSA Clinton Williams told Kaieteur News yesterday that he is not against the confectionery company; in fact he welcomes it, but he is unaware of the circumstances surrounding Jagdeo’s actions and as such will not be able to provide a comment. When asked for a reaction to the revelation by Lall on the actions of the Jagdeo cabal, former Chairman of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Clinton Urling said, “If it is true then it should not have happened. It all comes back to ensuring that we have fair and equitable treatment when it comes to business and investment in Guyana. “If at any point in time someone feels as though they have been unfairly treated, it is something that should not be held in silence but exposed. “And by that I mean reported to the GMSA, the PSC or the GCCI. However, I must make it pellucid that I have never heard any matter of this nature before. These problems must be exposed. It is the only way we would be able to identify the problem and act on them when it is done in an official manner.”
PSC member, Ramesh Dookoo
Urling added, “It must be made clear as well that we aren’t policy-making bodies, we are policy advocates, and it is not a guarantee that justice is going to be ensured when you report your matter, but rest assured that we would take the matter once reported to the respective minister and if necessary, above him. We will represent the person as best as we can.” Ramesh Dookoo, one of the more vocal members of the Private Sector Commission, commenting on the matter said, “He (Glenn Lall) should meet with the President of the GMSA and present his case. We don’t have a responsibility to respond to everything in the media. “He needs to understand that he is now a manufacturer and as such he needs to separate being a manufacturer and being a media owner. He is confusing the roles of the two. “He is using his newspapers for his own concerns. He needs to come on board and also present his case to Clinton Williams (Head of the GMSA) and then we will make an official comment and represent him fully. We don’t know why the permits were blocked.” Lall however said that the Private Sector Commission and the GMSA members are afraid to comment or speak on the issue. “I am surprised that Jagdeo has left the scene and they are still afraid to talk. Many of them are rubber stamps. I have nothing to report because they are just toothless poodles. They are saying that I must become a member before they can comment? They never invited me to be a part of it. Further, I don’t want to be a part of any toothless organization.” A Partnership for National Unity’s Shadow Minister of Public Works, Joseph Harmon, said that the GMSA and the PSC each “speak with two mouths.” “It is strange that they would only speak on an issue once someone is a member, for as far as I understand, if an issue affects a business and it has potential to affect the business and investment climate they should comment on it.
Former GCCI Chairman, Clinton Urling
“The PSC and GMSA conveniently speak on “certain issues” that would affect their investment climate and the business community, yet, in order for you to get them to lend their voice to the issues affecting a businessman or manufacturer, they say ‘You have to become a member’. “They are speaking with two mouths and this needs to be changed.”