Another Regent Street fire
Millions lost as four businesses go up in flames
By Shirley Thomas
Another fire, widely believed to be electrical in origin, early yesterday morning swept through a section of commercial Regent Street, ravaging four businesses and leaving billions of dollars in losses in its trail and dozens of employees on the bread line.

The buildings destroyed were Household Plus, Wireless Connections which also houses a Western Union Money Transfer Service and Bill Express, Cheno’s Household and Garment Factory (housed in the former Fullworth Building) and Sling Jet - a Brazilian garment and appliances store.

Gallant firefighting by members of the Fire Department, strongly assisted by civic-minded citizens on the scene, resulted in two neighbouring businesses being saved. The buildings saved are Kayum’s Jewellery and snackette to the east of Household Plus and Bounty Supermarket to the west of Wireless Connections Electronics and Home Appliances Store.

Reports say the fire, which started shortly after 3:00 hrs, broke out in the upper floor of Household Plus and quickly spread to the other building to the west. Neighbours housed above Kayum’s Jewellery Store recalled they were awakened to the shouts of ‘fire’ and looked out only to find that Household Plus was well alight.

On arrival at the scene, residents said, the Fire Service, in addition to fiercely fighting the burning building, concentrated their energies and scarce water resources on dousing Kayum’s Jewellery which was seriously threatened, since there is an open lot between the burning building and Cheno’s the closest building to the left. However, things were going well neighbours said, when flying debris from Household Plus landed on Cheno’s Store, igniting that building as well, and causing the situation to spin out of control.

Ironically a fire hydrant opposite the scene of the fire, at the corner of Regent Street and Orange Walk, proved to be nothing more than a white elephant, or at worse a source of annoyance as angry flames licked away at the buildings.

As the flames billowed and combustibles exploded, with water eventually sourced from the South Road trench, firemen used every conceivable vantage point from which to fight the fire. Climbing onto a building across the alley way, they managed to avoid greater catastrophe by dousing and breaking into a building aback of Wireless Connections where a standby generator was housed.

Meanwhile, management and staff of Bounty Supermarket, were glad the store owned by the Fernandes Brothers, was saved.

The firefighters used to advantage the open lot between the burning Wireless Connections and the supermarket in their bid to save the building. Management Officials of John Fernandes who just a few days ago celebrated their 50th anniversary as a Company operating in Guyana, were out in full force at the scene of the fire.

General Manager of the Regent Street Bounty Supermarket, Mrs. Angelique De Groot, said she believed that their being spared was in no small measure the result of constant prayers that go up for their business.

Meanwhile, the mood at yesterday’s tragic scene was almost hair-raising as businessmen and employees, whose immediate future remained unknown, fainted on beholding the destruction.

Managing Director of Wireless Connections, Mr. Maxwell Thom, who lost hundreds of millions was inconsolable. Weeping bitterly as he watched his hard earned gains being reduced to a rubble, he prayed for strength to bear the loss. His business concern, which has been operating from that venue for just over four years, had about 20 employees who were all on the scene trying to offer moral support to the Maxwell family as the fire raged.

But even as journalists tried to get a comment from the owners of Household Plus, they were greeted with frustration. Proprietors and staff alike remained mum.

Yesterday’s fire, the second such in Regent Street in just over a week, and about the fourth for this year, has seen the Hamid Brothers suffering considerable losses. A few months ago – Hamson’s Hardware Store – owned by one of the brothers, went up in flames at the corner of Regent and Albert Streets; just over a week ago, another brother’s business – Regent Electronics--was among three businesses destroyed by fire on Regent Street between Albert and Light Streets.

The fire was brought under control just before 6:00 hrs. But throughout the day, little pockets of fire popping up here and there, smouldering embers, steel barriers, a visible police presence and three huge fire tenders positioned at strategic positions, were a grim reminder of the early morning conflagration.

Four fires in less than ten months have destroyed close to ten businesses along Regent Street and another five in the Bourda vending area, and to date, proprietors who have suffered crippling losses are still awaiting answers.

Minister Anthony promises a bigger festival – at Mash 2010 launch
- Theme ‘Embracing our Diversity, Celebrating our Heritage’
Mashramani 2010 will be celebrated under the theme ‘Embracing our Diversity, Celebration our Heritage.’ The theme, written by Deon Bijraj, was unveiled at a ceremonial launch Friday at the Umana Yana in front of a packed audience.

Among the highlights of the event was a costume and float parade which moved off from the western carriageway on Main Street in the vicinity of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to the Umana Yana. Musical accompaniment was provided by a steelband.

At the launching, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, promised that Guyanese can expect a bigger festival that will include the usual traditional festivities associated with Mash and a special dimension.

He alluded to government’s plan of identifying three periods in the year, February being the first, where festivities will be held for an extended period. This will, among other things, allow foreigners, several of whom visit Guyana in February, August and December, to have a range of entertainment options.

Promoters and entertainers will be at the centre of this promotion and Minister Anthony disclosed that government is contemplating tax incentives to ensure the activities are successful.

Minister Anthony also disclosed that 2010 Mashramani celebration will be given an international flavour. He said neighbouring countries have indicated tentative interest in participating.

The new initiative emerged out of a meeting among President Bharrat Jagdeo and promoters and entertainers at the Guyana International Conference Centre.

Private sector involvement

With the private sector being one of the most important stakeholders in Mashramani celebrations, Vice Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Ramesh Dookhoo, in his remarks at the launching, said the support of the private sector is a symbol of its thrust to constantly partner with the Guyana Government to salute a symbolic observance.

The business community, Dookhoo said, has been an active partner in Mashramani celebrations since its inception and as Guyana prepares to observe the 40th anniversary as a republic, he said the private sector must be even more active.

“Our companies and firms have been highly visible on Mash Day with the decorated floats and colourful costume bands… Mashramani, as our own Dave Martins would say, ‘is we own,’ Dookhoo said.

Private sector interest in Mashramani 2010 has already been strong as Minister Anthony said about 10 corporate entities have already shown interest. Commitments have been given from Banks DIH and Republic Bank.

Mashramani celebrations will be 40 years old on February 23, 2010, and Minister Anthony said over the years, the festival has been enlivened by additional features such as calypso, chutney, masquerade and steelband competitions.

Disappointingly however, the Minister said, while some of the events have improved, others have been declining. But for this occasion, he said meetings have been held with stakeholders in every group to identify the shortcomings that have been preventing them from participating in Mashramani.

The Minister described these discussions as fruitful and assured that for the upcoming celebration there will be a ‘qualitatively different’ level of the events.

Organising for Mashramani is done at the central and regional planning committee level. Minister Anthony said while the regions will be participating in the national events they will also be planning specific events for different regions.

Mashramani has a proud history which Dr James Rose, Director of Culture, credited to its birth place in Linden after the people were seeking the best celebration for independence in 1966.

The group staged a mini independence carnival which, from 1966 to 1970, became popular in the town. But by 1969 the legislature passed a resolution for Guyana to become a republic which inevitably required severing all ties with the British culture. Thus several names which were popular to the independence carnival in Linden such as king and queen of the band were substituted with local terms.

Guyana’s achievement of a Republic status also influenced the organisers of the independence activities to change the name of the festival from independence carnival to Mashramani, an Amerindian word meaning celebration after a cooperative endeavour.

Educating the audience about the history of the celebration, Dr Rose said by 1973 Linden had built a reputation for Mashramani and attracted the attention of the Government which called for the celebration to expand beyond the boundaries of Linden. (GINA)

Moraikobai community to embark on large scale farming
- Agri Ministry consistent with support
In tandem with the planned activities for Agriculture Month, Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud and a team which included Permanent Secretary Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Nigel Dharamlall, and Jamaican Minister of Commerce Michael Stern, Saturday visited the community of Moraikobai in the Mahaicony River where supplies and livestock were handed over to assist community members in their drive to develop large scale farming.

Minister Persaud noted that there is much work to be done, pointing out that work is being done to capture the demand on the market.

The purpose of the interaction was to address concerns and continue the initiatives that were previously taken by the Ministry.

To further show their commitment to the large scale farming venture, a highly competent technical team that included personnel from the Ministry and Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) among other organisations are also in Moraikobai sensitising villagers to the use of pesticides and proper farming and livestock practices. This training touched on every aspect of sustainability.

Minister Persaud pointed out that emphasis is also on rice production, noting that the Ministry has embarked on a massive agriculture diversification project. He gave assurance that the community will get the required support.

Breeding animals were also taken to the community. He pointed out that there is consistency in terms of support and a need to look at what is happening in a broader way. He further pointed out that this is a means through which the community can be improved, but that there is a need to ensure there is compliance with the recommendations of the GFC to prevent disruption of activities.

He implored the farmers to make use of the new state-of-the-art computer laboratory to access information on farming practices and other key areas.

Dharamlall noted that the reasons for the Amerindian Ministry’s presence were to share with the Amerindians who are farmers the activities of Agriculture Month and to address the issues of the Amerindians.

He pointed out that the Database Management Information System was launched recently to have the Amerindian communities fully integrated into all the services of the ministry and to capture all issues, regardless of what they are.

He noted that all Amerindian villages are considered vulnerable and as such there was a need to have several developmental plans for livelihood and enterprise.

Jamaican Minister Stern pointed out that there is no other country that gives such priority to its indigenous population, and he encouraged the residents to make themselves economically sustainable, highlighting that Jamaicans are going through the same struggles they are facing.

Villagers raised issues that were important to them, including an access road that leads from Linden to Moraikobai. Minister Persaud assured them that their issues are being addressed at the highest level. (GINA)

Bauxite and Sugar – another perspective
By Samuel Hinds
Prime Minister
This Government has been steadily striving to arrange and, as far as it could, achieve sustainable operations within the bauxite and sugar sectors, traditional mainstays of our economy and society. Even so, we are aware that to achieve the social and economic development which we Guyanese 'long for', we should be working towards an economy that would be ten times that which we have today, in value and in diversity. That essentially, would be a new economy. Bauxite and sugar have been 'good to us', but are not likely to provide that increase. We need to ensure that we prepare and dispose ourselves to learn of new economic activities, and look to the future. Hence, whilst I have been noticing, I have, nonetheless, been letting 'pass by' a number of articles on bauxite, and bauxite vis-a-vis sugar, such as:

*Lincoln Lewis in Kaieteur News of 2009-09112, "The same principle that is embraced for sugar must also be embraced for bauxite."

*S.L. Carmichael in Stabroek News of May 20, 2009, "Can Guyana depend on RUSAL for bauxite development?"

However, I cannot allow passage of the inaccurate and unjust charges repeated once again, by:

*Lincoln Lewis in Stabroek News of 2009-10-11, "The issue is the discriminatory way the Government treats bauxite as compared with sugar."

Bauxite and Sugar engender great, but often different, emotions in Guyanese, particularly older Guyanese like Lincoln and me. And this is to be expected: sugar and bauxite have, in their respective ways and in their own times, brought money and recognition and pride to Guyanese and Guyana. Although both Lincoln and I have been employees of the bauxite industry since the 1960s, and have remained strongly associated with bauxite unto this day, we do hold very different views. Further, I think that there are facts which Lincoln either cannot see, or chooses to belittle or ignore.

Let us look at what might be the germane paragraph of Lincoln's contention in Kaieteur News of 2009-09-12.

"The PPP, on coming into office, embraced the privatisation of bauxite but refused to put safety nets in place to deal with the resulting social and economic consequences, while at the same time it ignored the recommendation of SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) to deal with sugar." What are the cold facts?

Under the SAP, GUYSUCO, placed by the PNC in the late 1980s under Booker-Tate management, was to be returned to profitability, then to be privatised: and there was a return to profitability, but this Government did not privatise Sugar.

LINMINE, put under MINPROC management, was to be privatised if it was made profitable, or be closed if it could not be made profitable. Lincoln would recall that there was a previous MFI (Multi-lateral Financial Institutions) intervention in 1983 to turn GUYMINE to profitability, which intervention did not succeed. This, therefore, was to be a second and last chance for bauxite to be shown to be profitable. In 1994, MINPROC declared that they could see no way to make LINMINE profitable, but this Government did not close LINMINE, as was required by the SAP.

Bauxite was privatised in 2004, twelve years after this Government came into office and only when good, sound privatisation offers came, even though, by themselves, neither of the two bauxite operations was covering its costs. This Government did not come into office with any preconceived position on bauxite.

Whatever Lincoln may think of LEAP, which has come and now is almost gone, it was this Government's awareness and concern about dealing with the social and economic dislocations arising out of a shrunken operation, that saw the then young Junior Minister of Finance (now our President) leading a team for a week-long social and economic study of the Linden community, the results of which study provided the basis for the application for LEAP.

LEAP was born out of this Government's approach to the Donors to provide LINMINE workers and the Linden community a third chance. This Government sought an intervention, in LEAP, which was twice what was eventually granted. The Donors 'cut out' much of the proposed infrastructural improvements and reduced greatly the budget for loans, arguing that LEAP should focus on people changing: the changed people would then make use, like others, of whatever resources were available in the society, whether concessionary or commercial.

And when, eventually, bauxite operations were to be privatised, re-fashioned and restarted, this Government allocated more than $2 billion to ensure that workers received what they were due, and even more! For L1NMINE, close to G$2 billion was required to clear long-standing payments to PAVE, NIS, a Workers' Savings Scheme and outstanding leave, and to cover an actuarially-calculated deficit in the Bauxite Pension Plan and to provide an enhanced severance payment to all workers.

And about another G$O.5 billion was required to do similarly for BERMINE.

Lincoln must see this Government as having given money to pension schemes in both Bauxite and Sugar, and having acknowledged these interventions, see a Government striving to deal even-handedly with all, and being indifferent to race, industry or region.

Additionally, Lincoln would be aware, too, that this Government has not changed the traditional give-away electricity tariffs in bauxite communities, which required about G$2.3 billion last year and is heading this year toward G$2 billion.

Lincoln refers to this Government as saying at the time that it will not close the Demerara Estate, seeking to imply the usually assumed, pro-Indian stance of this Government. Well, hear this! One early morning in 1998, it fell to me to visit Bareroot (very nearly all-African) and Enterprise (very nearly all-Indian), after gunshots were traded during the night, thankfully without any injuries on either side. It turned out that a number of Bareroot residents were cane-cutters who would join the workers' trucks 'foreday morning' at the pick-up point in Enterprise. The Bareroot residents claimed that they were not racial, and showed me an Indian girl from Enterprise who was living with an African boy in Bareroot without any fear! They went on to claim, however, that "is only because we black people here finding lil wuk cutting cane that your Government now wanting to close the Demerara Estates!" A number of Guyanese, both African and Indian workers, are fearful of the Demerara estates being closed.

This Administration, indeed, has not treated Sugar and Bauxite in an identical way, but in both cases, it varied from the MFI’s prescription. In any case, is identical treatment really the answer, when the paths and positions of companies are different? Rather, we have sought to treat Bauxite and Sugar, and their employees and communities, equitably, fairly and sensibly. Bauxite, its employees and communities, may have, in many ways, received more attention and support than sugar!

Lincoln would have heard of others who charge that this Government, in supporting sugar, is seeking to keep Indians trapped as cane-cutters, hewers of wood and drudgers of water, while African bauxite-workers are being exposed and introduced to computers, away from bauxite mining and towards the modern world.  

We have real problems on which Lincoln, and all of us, should be focusing. As Professor Clive Thomas has observed that the costs of production of our sugar, bauxite and many other goods and services, have been significantly above free-market prices (recognising all the valid criticisms of free-market prices). The real and key difference between Sugar and Bauxite has not been of this Government's making, or choosing. The primary difference has been the fact that sugar, until recently, enjoyed preferential prices which enabled it to easily cover the costs of production at US16 to 18 cents/lb, which was above the free-market price of US8 cents to 10 cents/lb; whilst bauxite did not enjoy any preferences, and, on the average, received about US$70 for every US$100 of total costs incurred. This, in my view, is the reason why Booker-Tate, installed as Manager at GUYSUCO by the preceding PNC administration, could have turned things around at GUYSUCO.

Whilst the prescribed consequence of a profitable GUYSUCO was privatisation, it must be recognised, nevertheless, that here was a situation of profitability but within a special circumstance.

Even so, there were many questions asked. Lincoln would recall the 'noises' made as to whether the patrimony of preferential prices should go to the private owners or, rather, somehow kept by the State: but if retained by the State, would anyone want GUYSUCO without that benefit of preferential prices? And what about passing control of vast acreages of land over to private 'hands'?

MINPROC, however, installed by the same PNC administration to manage LINMINE, with Guyana's bauxite products naked on the international markets and without the saving grace of a preferential price, and suffering a number of severe, if not deadly, natural disadvantages, eventually reported, not primarily to our Government but to their employing pay-masters in the MFI’S , that they could not see any way in which the bauxite operation in Linden could be made profitable on a sustainable basis. There was no collusion between this Government and MINPROC, as Lincoln proclaims; on the contrary, the relationship was more of a frosty distance.

The prescribed consequence of MINPROC's declaration was for this Government not to return, once more, to subsidising LINMINE from the Treasury, but rather, to close LINMINE, as no one would be expected to purchase a loss-making company, and indeed, the first formal and informal invitations to bid ended with some interest expressed, but with no actual takers.

Lincoln affirms in Stabroek News of 2009-10-01 that "The closure of any industry results in job loss", but is not charitable enough to acknowledge that, for that very reason, this Government defied the MFI’s and as a result, LINMINE was not closed. This Government resisted that expectation of the MFI’s by re-establishing and continuing various subsidies and relief support to the Company which now again was being managed by the Government. Not long after, ALCOA bought Reynolds, including the about five-year old Reynolds-managed ABCI AMC 50:50

partnership at Aroiama, in the Berbice River. ALCOA soon informed this Government that it intended to close that operation. Again, this Government chose not to close ABC/AMC but to take-over ABC/AMC for $1, and folded BERMINE into ABC/AMC.

BERMINE, without outside investment since its de-linking from LINMINE in the late 1980s, was completely 'run down', and on its 'last gasp'.

The new ABC/AMC, to meet the competition at the prevailing market conditions, had to sell its bauxite at US$19/ton, when it needed US$29/ton to cover all the costs to be recognised, of which about half was cash, and the other half non-cash, foregoing-maintenance and amortization (capitalization) costs. Fortunately, ABC/AMC came to the Government with some cash in the bank, and an equipment fleet still in good condition, but both the cash and the fleet would be 'run down' as the days were to go by - it was certainly not a sustainable situation.

It is in this light that one should see the privatisation of LINMINE to OMAI/CAMBIOR/IAMGOLD, then to BOSAI; and the merged ABC/AMC to RUSAL. Privatisation for these companies, saved the day. Privatisation brought urgently-needed investments to both companies.

Lincoln, from his long association with bauxite and with OMAI, should be ashamed of misrepresenting the brief loss-making ownership of OMAI/CAMBIOR as 'buying for US$l and selling for US$46 million'. Lincoln, more than anyone, should recall the two-month 'shut down' of the OBMI operations in Linden, and the losses CAMBIOR suffered from its bauxite venture. It is wicked of Lincoln to speak of "buying for $1 and selling for US$46 million" while taking no account of the investments made. Lincoln would know, too, that OMAI/CAMBIOR intended to close the operations if no acceptable buyer came along, and should be cognisant of the Government's role in encouraging BOSAI to 'step into CAMBIOR's shoes'.

Privatisation is, inherently, neither a good thing nor a bad thing, but is a tool to be used like any other in securing our livelihoods. Privatisation brings investment, additional expertise and experience, and better access to markets, which is especially important for goods being exported to markets wherein one is a small player. Whilst one regrets the cut- backs in production this year to about 50% of what was planned in the case of BCGI/RUSAL, and 60% of what was planned in the case of BMGGI/BOSAI, without RUSAL and BOSAI as majority partners, these operations would likely have been closed for much of this year, if not permanently.

Though I have no doubt that Lincoln and others believed earnestly in their offer of a Management 'buy-out' for US$20 million, I remain certain that, realistically, it was little more than earnest, good intention. And if CAMBIOR lost money paying $1, think of the losses it would have incurred after having paid US$20 million. The Government would have been faced with calls for a double bail-out - bailing out the management consortium from its creditors, and separately, the company with its workers and community.

Today, the situation with Sugar is changed: with preferential pricing almost gone, Sugar is' clearly in a position more like where bauxite was when the SAP was introduced. Lincoln, accepting that he wants to be helpful, should be telling the complete story. He should be telling of the warnings our President did not hesitate to put before sugar workers at the last Enmore Martyrs Day,

When the President spoke, he rebuked Ms. Burton for not presenting a whole, complete story in her address but choosing to jump from the Enmore Martyrs in 1948 to the GPSU strike of 1999 and saying nothing about the 50 years in between. And he went on to say, "you, too, Komal didn't speak the complete story - you spoke about problems of the Managers and everyone else, but not about the problems caused by the workers, not about their 40% turn-out on many occasions”. President warned that with such turn-out, sugar would not survive and might well find itself closed down.

Let me be fair to Lincoln - I have not noticed any reporting of President's frank warning in any of the media in Guyana, and perhaps I might have begun to doubt my own ears, but at least one other person heard that view too, for as it happened, I was in Trinidad early the very next morning and there on the 8 o'clock radio news, I heard it said: "President Jagdeo warns sugar workers that sugar could be closed."

Sugar workers should not put any faith in claims by Mr. Lewis that they, irrespective of everything, can rest secured in a special, favoured relationship with this Government. Nor should bauxite workers be deluded by the view seemingly advanced by Lincoln that the biggest problem for bauxite has been this Government. Rather, sugar workers, bauxite workers, and indeed, all of us workers, should add to our credo that secure jobs and livelihoods are founded on work-places being secured, with costs being kept less than the best revenues that could be won in open competition. Special favours cannot for long secure uncompetitive work, nor can prejudice prevail against competitive performance for long.