More questions than answers
Dear Editor, As an invitee to the symposium that was held at Moray House on February 27, 2018 and despite my enormous time constraint, I attended because the discussion was focusing on the ‘Strategies for Economic Revival in Region 6’. I was enthused to hear from the panelists that comprised Christopher Ram, Accountant/ Attorney-at-Law, Audreyanna Thomas, Communications Manager of GuySuCo and representatives from the National Drainage & Irrigation Authority and Chamber of Commerce in Berbice on what strategies are in place or will be in place, to revive the reportedly economic decline in Region Six.
The economic decline in Region Six has been precipitated by the laying-off of approximately 5,000 sugar workers from the Skeldon and Rose Hall Estates, and it was in this sense that I was motivated to attend to hear what plans, suggestions and/or strategies would be promulgated to revive, or rather stabilize, the economy in Region Six.
Unfortunately, I left the symposium quite disappointed, since the presentations and outcomes defied my expectation of what should have been well articulated and thought out presentations. Apart from Christopher Ram, whose presentation was well delivered and focused on both the reality of the current situation and to some extent on what should be done to alleviate the economic decline, the others were extremely disappointing; more so the presentation by GuySuCo’s Communications Manager. I was expecting an interesting presentation and stimulating discussion on GuySuCo’s presentation.
Editor, when 5,000 sugar workers and their families are in dire financial straits, feeding themselves on the severance allowance that they received, the sugar company’s Com-munications Manager had the audacity to present to a room full of some of the most prominent members of civil society a PowerPoint presentation on an academic thesis that she is preparing for some course for a British university programme as the blueprint for the alleviation of the massive unemployment in Region Six.
Given the enormity of information