The Editor, Sir:

While we anxiously await the outcome of the bidding process for the publicly-owned sugar factories, there are a few facts that need mentioning.

Shortly after the factories were bought back for a mere $1, the Minister of Agriculture made a trip to a country of the same size and demography as Jamaica, and which had five publicly-owned factories. In an effort to benchmark the Jamaican sugar industry off this country, the minister made the following proposals to save the local industry. He proposed that all the factories put together should have one chief executive officer, one operations manager, one factory manager, one human resources manager, etc. All these managers were expected to drive Land Rovers which are appropriate and currently being driven in this very successfully-run small country's sugar industry.

Stillborn plan

The plan was stillborn. It never saw the light of day. The minister not only lacked the political will but the moral courage to see it through. As a result of his weakness, seven years later we have a sugar industry owing not $3.5 billion, as it started out at, but $9 billion and counting; all this despite a plethora of highly-educated technocrats on loan from the Bank of Jamaica, and with two senior ministers of government overseeing the industry.

Please minister, tell us that after four years of no salary increases and a three-day work week for middle managers and daily-paid workers, our sacrifices have not been in vain.

Fed up

The taxpayers are fed up with the industry. Members of Parliament whose constituents depend on sugar are fed up, and the Opposition doesn't give a damn. We understand the minister's need to be cautious in light of previous attempts at divestments which failed, the NetServ scandal and the Mirant fiasco, but history offers no templates for success, therefore, the minister cannot continue to pussyfoot around.

Wishing and hoping and praying, hugs and kisses and charms won't get these investors into our arms. The minister, investors and the All-Island Cane Farmers' Association know that the factories will require a massive injection of funds, and the only persons benefiting from the minister's ambivalence are those few who are enjoying the 'dutty wine' while the vast majority are plain dutty.

I am, etc.,

MARK CLARKE

mark__clarke9@yahoo.com