Georgetown: Approximately 220 of the more than 1800 cooperative societies in Guyana will be dissolved, Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul disclosed. He added that the Education Ministry has been advised to disband the schools’ thrift co-op society programme due to the many financial discrepancies that have been uncovered.
Dr Gopaul said a verification process, which commenced in September 2013 has revealed that many co-ops are in violation of the Cooperative Society Act. Accountability, illegal sale of land, and financial discrepancies are the major problems. While the Labour Ministry, through its cooperative department led by Chief Cooperative Development Officer Carol Valz, is working to resuscitate some defunct co-ops, Dr Gopaul said they had no other choice but to shut down some societies.
“Some societies have shown the willingness to work and so, we will be working along with them. Currently, they are being audited but those who cannot find records, or officials or proper accountability, these will be dissolved and we are talking in excess of 200 co-ops,” he explained.
In addition to the illegal sale of the Lamaha Garden Playground at a cost of $29 million, a matter which has gained the attention of the High Court, the labour minister said the ministry is investigating three major co-ops within Berbice and Essequibo. While declining to disclose the names of the co-ops, the minister said: “We would have had issues where huge businesses have gotten involved in co-ops and again the co-op was intended for the small man.”
The Labour Ministry is working in conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry, the Attorney General’s Chamber, the Natural Resources Ministry and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission to resolve the problems. Dr Gopaul made it clear that the Labour Ministry will ensure that when co-ops are dissolved, their lands , following investigations, will be given to members; in these cases, farmers.
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