St. Kts: Quacks and invalids ruin the sugar industry

Listening to the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Mr. Cedric Liburd on WINN FM news on the 2nd March 2004, explaining the late start of the 2004 harvesting of the sugar crop, we can deduce from his obvious incompetence why this industry is on the verge of collapse. This man apparently is indifferent to the continuing adverse effect the industry has on the Federation’s finances as it continues to lose millions each year. What is striking and vexing is that inspite of the warning flags, the mismanagement continues at the SSMC.

Over the years under Labour, the SSMC was a resting place for rejects and shady characters who allegedly did the dirty bidding for the Labour party. Many questioned the appointment of Mr. Oriel Hector as Human Resource manager at a reported salary of $6000.00 per month. We must not forget the history of this man and that he is the Supervisor of Elections. His recruitment apparently did not add any value to the SSMC. One can speculate that his costly appointment might have been compensation for another mission he completed for labour. Other characters forced on the SSMC, can afford to buy high end luxury jeeps while earning an income of approximately $2,500.00 per month. How a man working at SSMC at that salary could purchase a vehicle cash, for $300,000.00 and this job is his only source of income. We submit that commodities purchased by SSMC were not procured at the best possible prices. Kick backs might have been the order of the day, passed under the table and might have been going on for years supposedly with  the blessing of the labour party government.

How can we forget that an old locomotive was sent to England to be refurbished and on its return there was a ceremony to re-commission this old engine which was renamed after Halva Hendrickson’s wife. The champagne drank at that event, plus the refurbishing saddled tax payers with a bill well over $1 miilion dollars.

Today the Industry is serious trouble.
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The government has announced very sheepishly that the SSMC will produce approximately 13.8 thousand tons of sugar and this will yield approximately $16 million dollars in revenue, but expenses to produce this crop are a whopping $51 million dollars. Taxpayers will be called upon to pick up the tab for labour’s incompetence once more. This situation is ample testimony that the present bunch of labour ministers who cannot  run a simple bar shop or supermarket, cannot be expected to run a country effectively and efficiently.  The purchasing of state of the art air conditioned Land Rovers for top personnel to joy ride in was not in the best interest of the industry. Some labour activists can still be seen joy riding night and day in the Corporation’s vehicles, chalking up expenses unnecessarily. They shout all8 so they have become untouchables.

Some of these elected officials treat the taxpayers' money as though the taxpayers don't work hard for it, as though the Treasury were the officials' own little piggy-bank. The purpose of government, for some, is to enrich the elected and to make life difficult for the poor schmucks who put the elected swine in power. Thank God for the voting booth. Vote them to hell out, investigate their affairs, and jail their arses.