Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag has called out Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Vinceroy Jordan for being “disconnected” from his colleagues with regards to their position on the sugar industry.
The Opposition, comprising both the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the Peoples National Congress-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have continuously criticised the Government’s support towards the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
It was the APNU+AFC government from 2015-2020 that shut down four sugar estates, sending thousands of workers on the breadline.
In August 2024, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton vowed to downsize the sugar industry if elected into government, saying “I believe that sugar has to be produced in limited quantities.”
But during the 2025 budget debate on Tuesday, Jordan promised that a new APNU+AFC administration would develop GuySuCo.
During the budget debate on Wednesday, Minister Parag pointed out that “everyone else is talking about closing the sugar estates – “it cannot be revived” – and he standing up here like a big joke and saying “we will resuscitate the sugar estates”.”
“So disconnected from the rest of your colleagues,” she added.