Independent - November 19, 2000
By Raffique Shah
AVID reader that I am, I must confess that I never got around to fully reading Jane Austen’s classic in English literature, Pride and Prejudice. But the title of the book did flash through my mind following certain developments in the political landscape over the past week. After days of speculation over his fate following his alleged bucking of Prime Minister Basdeo Panday’s decision to retain Gordon Bartlett as chairman of Trinmar, Donald Baldeosingh was removed as chairman of the country’s flagship oil company, Petrotrin. Within 24 hours, his younger brother, Reynold, who had earlier been named as the UNC’s candidate for Arouca North, withdrew from the race, citing family considerations.
Now, I need point out that I do not know the Baldeosinghs, and I have no idea if they are related to fellow-columnist Kevin, a pint-size Indian who has more stones than some of the quarries up in Valencia. But Donald’s stand on the Petrotrin/Trinmar issue, which, from what I have read, appears to have been in the best interests of both companies, tells me that he is no eunuch, and that he values his pride more than the prejudices he could face following his startling decision. To adopt a position that is in direct conflict with what the Prime Minister wants calls for a tremendous amount of courage among ordinary souls.
Ever since he was first named chairman of Petrotrin, I viewed Donald, as I did all chairmen of the boards of various State enterprises, as being beholden to Panday, hence someone who would do the PM’s bidding, no more, no less. Clearly, I misread the man. Before I continue, I should point out that of all State enterprises, Petrotrin is viewed as the jewel in the local economic crown. After all, especially with the recent downgrading of the National Gas Company, there is State company or institution that is as powerful as Petrotrin. Panday will have been more than circumspect in choosing members of the company’s board, and especially its chairman, who, whatever may be said of the democratic process and of business acumen, is the man who calls the shots—as long as they are in consonance with those of the Cabinet and most of all of the Prime Minister.
For those who have never had the opportunity to sit on a State board, this may be revealing. I know because I was a member of board of Caroni Ltd between 1987-96 (as a representative of the cane farmers, I hasten to add — not a Government appointee). There, I saw just how party hacks who were named to the board behaved. They displayed no initiative, came up with no ideas to reverse the declining fortunes of the company, attended meeting mainly to feast on the lunch and other goodies that were served, and went along, robot-like, with whatever positions were dictated by the chairmen.
As for the chairmen I worked with, the experiences were even more revealing. Vishnu Ramlogan was made executive chairman under the NAR, and everything seemed to be working well (he did introduce several new ideas) until that party split. With the Panday faction pulling out and forming Club 88, Ramlogan, a Panday protégé, found himself at odds with the Ray Robinson Government. For months before he abruptly resigned, the minister directly responsible for Caroni, Winston Dookeran, hardly spoke with him. Too, because he was a Panday appointee in the first instance, pressure was brought to bear on him by the sugar union, which felt it owned him. In disgust, he packed up and left.
Most members of State boards, especially those appointed by Cabinet, view their positions as rewards for having served the party in power during the election campaign. They are there to enjoy the perks, not to render service, to ensure the proper running of the particular company. Baldeosingh came across as a pro-active chairman. He had a high profile, was frequently in the news and spoke of a number of initiatives that were taken to reverse Petrotrin’s declining fortunes. By the time he was sacked, the company had reported profits for the first time in several years. And while it must be that buoyant oil prices played a critical part in turning Petrotrin’s “red” into “black”, there is no doubt that other factors also impacted on this positive trend.
Petrotrin is more a processor than a producer of oil and gas. At one time, the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery was capable of refining 355,000 barrels of oil a day, far more than we produced. Since then, its output has dropped substantially, but much work has been done to upgrade certain plants and to make products that are more marketable. Baldeosingh, working with an obviously resourceful management team, helped shape the new-look company. He was proud of the company’s achievements and Panday was proud of him and of Petrotrin.
But Baldeosingh was also a top ranking UNC supporter, as could be gleaned from his speeches in which he sang Governmentcomposed mantras. In fact, under his stewardship, Petrotrin’s management structure was drastically revised and we saw the emergence of a number of Indians in top positions. Mark you, they may all have deserved their promotions, and it could well be that they were stifled under previous administrations. When his brother, Reynold, was named as the party’s candidate for Arouca North, I was not surprised.
Now, on the eve of the general election, one brother was sacked from his chairmanship and the other chose to withdraw as a UNC candidate. In a country in which bucking the maximum leader could prove to be dangerous if not fatal, it took a lot of courage on Baldeosingh’s (D) part to give up the plum position. In fact, I suspect that something that has far-reaching implications must have been behind his decision, and I wish he would muster some more guts to speak out on what it was. I have heard much talk about certain transactions that are about to take place that are not exactly kosher.
Be that as it may (and while I am not surprised at the level of corruption that pervades the society, I am not one to fall for “niggergram” rumours: give me the facts, documentary evidence) the decisive actions taken by the Baldeosingh brothers prove a few things: not every Indian is beholden to Panday, and not everyone, whatever his or her race, is prepared to accept autocratic action on the part of the PM. It may also signal that not every UNC appointee is prepared to condone corruption. While their departure may have some fallout in the UNC (I expect that would be marginal: those in the party who hugged the Baldeosinghs yesterday, would just as easily shun them today), the significance goes beyond votes lost or won.
It says that not everyone is willing to sell his soul for a board appointment, or even a seat in Parliament. And when it comes to principle, race is of no import. I am not remotely suggesting that by merely quitting as Petrotrin’s chairman, Baldeosingh (D) has become a martyr, that whatever political sins he may have committed evaporated with that single act of defiance, of asserting his manhood. But it does show those who, like fools, are rushing where angels fear to tread, that there are still a few good men (and women) left at the highest levels of the society. When we see bandits and highwaymen parading on political platforms as if they are God’s chosen children who have a divine right to rule and to steal us blind, we take comfort in the fact that there are Baldeosinghs other than Kevin, who must no longer feel lonely carrying that surname.
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