Controversy mars PSC elections
Guyana Chronicle
July 1, 2004
THE election of a new Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) at the annual general meeting yesterday was marred by controversy and is likely to be challenged, sources said.
At the meeting at the Hotel Tower in Georgetown, several members claimed a breach of the PSC constitution in the election of the new Chairman.
Representatives pointed out that no member can hold the post for more than two consecutive years.
Outgoing Chairman, Dr. Peter De Groot, came from a `corporate member’ of the PSC.
A contender for the post yesterday was Mr. Yesu Persaud who was also named by a corporate member and this was deemed a violation of the constitution.
Members pointed out that paragraph 17 of the constitution says: “The Chairman shall be elected for one year and may be re-elected for a second period of one year and the organisation he/she represents shall be ineligible to contest the chairmanship over the next three years.”
The elections went ahead despite the objections and Persaud who was absent narrowly defeated Mr. Gerry Gouveia by one vote (seven to six).
At the meeting, De Groot said political stability was a crucial factor in creating a suitable atmosphere for businesses to maximise their potential.
“In order for the local private sector to truly begin to realise its real potential,” said De Groot, “and become the ‘engine of growth’ that our government sometimes refers to, it must have the suitable enabling environment in which to operate.”
In the Chairman’s report, he said, “While this includes the necessary physical infrastructure such as roads, electricity, sea defences, drainage, etc. it also includes the most important factor of political stability which has eluded us for a long time.
“Without it, neither local nor foreign investment will ever materialise at the level required for the necessary growth to take place in our country.“
De Groot thanked the donor community, members of which were invited to the meeting, for helping to fund some of the commission’s programmes including its Economic Policy Unit – funded largely by the Canadians and British governments with some assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) – and the Guyana Training Agency which is sponsored by the European Union and managed by the commission in partnership with the government.
In his farewell remarks as Chairman, De Groot said it was an honour and a privilege to serve his two consecutive terms as head of the PSC and while his tenure there was filled with many trials, it was an ultimately rewarding experience.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manzoor Nadir congratulated the PSC for holding its AGM in a timely manner.
He said that not only political parties but all other bodies with constituents should be held to conduct themselves in an accountable manner.
Nadir said the role of the private sector as an engine of growth is undeniable, a fact that the Government of Guyana acknowledges.
He said the government is the first to recognise the factors adversely affecting business development in Guyana which include a small market size, high energy costs, poor labour skills and a population with declining purchasing power due to the rise in commodity costs.
He said that while the Opposition has a role to play in acting as a counter-balancing force to the government, the onus is also on it to behave responsibly.
Nadir called on the PSC to keep the channels of communication open between the organisation and the government.
The PSC also used the event to launch its website, www.psc.org.gy , a venture supported by USAID.