Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has dismissed recent statements made by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton regarding the future of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) under a possible APNU-led administration, labeling them as “disingenuous” and a “shameless attempt to rewrite history.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mustapha reminded the public that it was the APNU government, which Norton now leads, that closed the Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales, and Enmore sugar estates between 2015 and 2020. This decision resulted in over 7,500 sugar workers losing their jobs and plunged entire communities into economic and social crises.
“These reckless decisions were made despite a report from the Commission of Inquiry into GUYSUCO, commissioned by the APNU/AFC themselves, which warned of the devastating long-term impacts of closures,” Mustapha stated. “They ignored it, and thousands of families paid the price.”
Mustapha accused the previous administration not only of shutting down estates but also of neglecting to pay sugar workers their full severance. He emphasized that many workers were forced to engage in lengthy court battles to receive what was rightfully theirs. According to Mustapha, it was only after the return of the PPP/C to power that the outstanding severance payments were fulfilled.
He cited findings from the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO), which indicated that the estate closures led to increased suicide rates, crime, and alcohol abuse, highlighting the severe social impacts left in their wake.
Mustapha criticized Norton for now vowing to “transform” GUYSUCO and asserting that no estate closures would occur under a future APNU administration. “These are hollow promises built on the ruins APNU themselves created,” Mustapha declared. “They cynically called it ‘right-sizing’ then — now they pretend to care.”
In contrast, Mustapha pointed to the PPP/C’s achievements since regaining office, including the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate, re-employment of former workers, and new investments aimed at mechanization, diversification, and recapitalization of the sugar industry.
“The sugar industry does not need empty rhetoric. It needs leadership — and that leadership is already in place under President Dr. Irfaan Ali,” he stated.
Mustapha concluded by reminding Guyanese, especially sugar workers, of who “stood with them and who abandoned them,” reinforcing the PPP/C’s commitment to the industry and its workforce.
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