The Sugar Industry - before and after the PNM

There is nothing in the history of Caroni Ltd between 1956-2003, that the PNM Governments 1956-1986, 1991-1995, 2001-2003 has anything to be ashamed about. As a matter of fact, successive PNM Governments have been very kind and generous to the sugar industry. It’s one thing for Mr Panday both in his capacity as a politician and trade union leader to make his demands to the Government on behalf of his constituents and/or members of his union, after all this is his legitimate right, this is what he was paid for. It is however insanely absurd and totally incorrect for him and the President General Mr Indarsingh to accuse any PNM government of discrimination, racial or otherwise against sugar workers, and Mr Panday knows this more than anyone else. The following facts are well known to Mr Panday.

The PNM came to power in 1956 winning 13 out of the 24 seats in the General Elections. The party lost every seat in the sugar belt overwhelmingly to the then PDP led by the President General of the ATSEFWU even the seats that Bhadase did not win, the PNM lost to Independent. L F Seukaran, Stephen Maharaj, (Butler party), Ajodah Singh (Independent). One of the first responsibilities of the PNM government, six years before Independence, was to eradicate hookworm in the sugar belt, under PNM’s first Minister of Health, Dr Winston Mahabir.

In spite of the enormous success of this programme PNM again lost the Federal Elections in March of 1958 to the PDP under the flagship of Sir Alexander Bustamante and the Federal Labour Party. The PNM not only lost in Caroni, it lost in St George East, Victoria and St Patrick, wherever sugar workers were in the majority we lost. By 1961, Bhadase had given way to Dr Capildeo. We won the General Elections, but lost every seat in the sugar belt. It was no different in 1966 with a splintered DLP again under Dr Capildeo. In 1971 there was the No Vote Campaign, in the sugar belt.

In 1976, we saw the emergence of Mr Basdeo Panday and the ULF. Bhadase had gone, Rampartapsingh’s trade union stumps were uprooted by the grey fox, not yet silver. It was the period of the oil boom, but just remember that during the period 1956-1975 under successive PNM governments, the sugar industry was owned and controlled by Tate and Lyle and Sir Harold Robinson/Woodford Lodge. It was a period that no sugar worker wants to be reminded of, ask Mr Sudama? BP, Texaco and other oil companies were retrenching left, right and centre, wages and conditions in the sugar industry were very much inferior to most if not all of the other major industries.

 Tate and Lyle had their own sweetheart relationship with Bhadase who kept his membership under complete control with a perfect brew of religion, culture, politics, his blend of trade unionism and violence. Ask Sudama about this lethal combination? Successive PNM Governments continued not only to subsidise our sugar workers but the private cane farmers as well. Cane farmers for the first time obtained official recognition under the late Mr Norman Girwar, the Cane Farmers Act was made law. Cane farmers for the first time in their lives were united and recognised under the law. Copies of this historical document are available at the government printery. Tate and Lyle the absentee landlord and international exploiters correctly anticipated the demise of the sugar industry. Sugar was no longer King and it was time to sacrifice the workers and this useless kingdom.

 They offered us our own land for sale, it was the PNM government under our visionary leader Dr Eric Williams that purchased the estates to protect the jobs of the sugar workers, and the history and culture of this segment of our nation. Williams knew the history of the industry more than anyone else. He and his government saw the value current and future of the Caroni lands, he knew that these lands were soaked and baked with the blood, sweat and tears of African slaves, indentured labourers, Chinese labourers and poor classless Europeans all victims of European imperialism. Today we hear all kinds of bogus stories, unreasonable and totally unjustifiable demands for the 77,000 acres of land owned by the government, owned by all of us, without anyone taking into consideration or putting into proper perspective the historical origin and brutal development of an industry that has haunted, terrorised, and divided our forefathers and ourselves all our lives. How can anyone, more so a former President General of the union a former Prime Minister of our nation accuse the PNM, Manning, Chambers or Williams of discriminating against sugar workers? Mr Panday fortunately arrived on the scene at the right time.

It was very soon after his election to office as President General of the union, decapitating Rampartapsingh his nominator and mentor that the oil dollars began to flow. He rightly, and correctly so, demanded and obtained his pound of flesh from the government who now owned the industry for his members.

The best increases and working conditions sugar workers ever obtained in their over 150 years of history were given to them by successive PNM governments, 100 percent increases, pension plans, diversification, new crops, increase management, more jobs, more subsidies. Guaranteed employment (40 hr week). Panday became the doyen, the sahib of the sugar workers, he was now King Baz. Year after year he threatened to close down the industry, bring down the government, he learnt his lessons well, he was able to increase the power of the lethal brew much stronger than his predecessor Bhadase Maraj. Of course better educated, a Hindu, a professional actor, he combined the ingredients of religion, culture, politics and trade unionism with his natural charisma. He appeared to be fearless and unstoppable in the sugar belt. He courted George Weekes and the so called radicals. Bhadase had betrayed them, their messiah had arrived it was only the brilliance, timing, and political astuteness of Dr Eric Williams that stopped him from taking over the government.

 Fortunately for us, in retrospect, Dr Williams read him, understood him, and played on his ego and ambition, like Cassius he was a very ambitious man, and Williams was quite happy, recognising his limitations to accommodate his limited attributes, once he was able to confine him to the sugar belt. Most of the time he and his government generously bowed to Panday’s demands, Errol Mahabir the brilliant politician that he was and I assume still is, was the middle man, the conduit. Errol also knew Panday’s limitations, he knew Panday was quite happy and satisfied once the sugar workers got what they assumed was and what he Panday convinced them was their share of the cake, Williams, Errol and the party never considered him a serious political threat not even Kamal.

The flamboyant leader had more bark than bite, Panday knew how to get what he wanted even from George Chambers, ask Errol. They knew his measure, it would not be incorrect to say that the PNM assisted Panday to become the force he eventually became. He was pampered and encouraged by the government once he didn’t pose a threat, he knows this more than anyone else. Ask Errol, Kamal, Padmore. As a political adviser to Dr Williams I not only knew the shots, I knew when, where and how they were to be played again ask Errol, Padmore and the top public servants Barsotti, Rampersad, Alleyne, Moore or the late Sam Worrell.

Williams, Chambers and the PNM were always there for him and the sugar workers. Successive PNM governments downsized, retrenched, call it what you want. On the Port they reduced the labour force from over 6000 in the late fifties early sixties to the current 700. They emasculated PTSC ask Joe Young, Clive Nunez, Aberdeen, and Brewster, they emasculated WASA, National Fisheries,TSTT, the IDC They divested several state enterprises thousands of workers, traditional PNM supporters lost their jobs, lost their homes and families while all this was going on, successive PNM governments were heavily subsidising Caroni 1975 which appeared to be the only legitimate child of the PNM government.

Caroni was untouchable three billion dollars in debt was written off in 1993-94, by the very Manning government whom they are now accusing of racial discrimination against sugar workers unadulterated rubbish from the voice of a dethroned monarch who is desperately struggling to regain his lost tribe. I can only hope that our comrades in the sugar belt recognise like their trade union colleagues on the port, WASA, PTSC and the other enterprises who were victims of downsizing and restructuring that the party is over, take the best package and move on as the rest did. Just remember, less we forget sugar workers are not lazy or lacking initiative, unlike Panday. Thy must and will survive.

Mr Panday must now tell his faithful, loyal, dedicated, fanatical disciples what he did to protect and secure them between 1986-1988 and 1995-2001, after all he had to bite to sweeten the brew for his members, a careful examination of the history of this brutal and notorious industry will clearly reveal that the sugar workers/cane farmers best days, years, were under the successive PNM governments.

I challenge anyone to deny this unquestionable fact. It’s time for our research scholars to document the history of the industry that brought most of our forefathers and mothers here, with a special study on the industry titled “The Sugar Industry Before and After the PNM”.
The PNM can be accused of many, many indiscretions. Political, economic and otherwise, discrimination against workers and the sugar industry, is certainly not one of them.