Govt can’t stop locals renting to Chinese, but foreign businesses must obey our laws – Jagdeo

As concerns grow within the business community about the rise of Chinese-owned establishments across the country, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has explained that the government cannot stop them from operating, but emphasised that they must adhere to Guyana’s laws.

In fact, Jagdeo pointed out that many of these businesses are being established on properties owned by Guyanese.

“What we have are Guyanese businesses who have been renting their places to Chinese to open supermarkets. We can do very little about that, because when you own your property, we can’t tell you who to rent to,” the Vice President reasoned during a recent radio programme.

In giving an example, Jagdeo pointed to the establishment of a Chinese-owned supermarket next to the new Diamond Regional Hospital.

“I went to Diamond [for the] opening of the new hospital. So, I came out and I saw this Chinese supermarket, and it irked me. I said…‘this is a prime spot. Why would we give it to a Chinese to open a supermarket here? Guyanese could do this’. So, we went back, I came back and I found out, you know, the land, we gave it to Guyanese [who submitted] a business proposal. They then own the land now and they rented it. They got it to open a business there, and now once they get the title, there is very little we can do,” Jagdeo explained.

Quarry licences, sand permits not granted to Chinese nationals – Jagdeo

However, he emphasised that Chinese companies operating here must respect Guyana’s laws. Jagdeo acknowledged that there are complaints that this category of businesses does not pay the required taxes and often sell various items without the requisite approvals.

“So, I made it clear that our position is, if you come to our country, and our people are paying taxes, and they have to get the requisite permission to sell, you have to comply with the law,” the Vice President affirmed.

“And if you’re inducing some GRA official or someone else, then that has to change. So, we have had a crackdown to ensure that they’re paying taxes…if they sell beers in a supermarket, you have to get a licence to sell alcohol too…the Guyanese man would have to get a licence to sell alcohol. So, we’re looking at that,” he added.

Business Culture

Meanwhile, the Vice President recognised that Chinese-owned businesses have contributed positively to communities, while also challenging the norms of the local business environment.

“The Guyanese in the community are saying [Chinese businesses] open late. ‘If we need a screw, we could run over to the shop if we need something there’. So, they’re providing a service because our people want to close at six o’clock and they [Chinese] are working until eight or nine…So, we need to also adjust the way we do business, our locals,” Jagdeo explained.

“We got to move with the times too. If people are working in the day and they’re coming home at six now, you can’t be closing your store at six o’clock too. You have to be keeping your store open a little bit later so they can have time to shop in the evening,” he added.

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