“When you define your risk in advance, you acknowledge the possibility of being wrong. Without this, traders rationalize, justify, or avoid decisions, leading to losses.” – Mark Douglas
When an institution was established, propelled by the sugar crisis, resulting in the agony and impoverishment of the sugar workers and the marginalized farmers, it is perceived to be a genuine institution. It is not an ordinary company or corporation existing only to extract profit and nothing more.
Back in the 1980’s any institution or NGOs were believed to improve the socio-economic condition of the people, especially the victims of the sugar crisis. In particular, this is the core foundation of an institution serving as the people’s alternative trading corporation – serving the people by trading their products in an alternative system and at the same time ensuring its (financial) sustainability in order to alleviate poverty mainly in haciendas and the countryside.
YELLOW PAD LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
In the first few years it served its purpose but started to crumble after a few years where betrayal and treachery took over. Its facilities, operations and adopted technology were not at par to what was expected but can only muster the art of double-speak and lip-service to its partners’ consumers, as well as the small producers. Instead of improving its facilities and being responsive to its mission by leading to pursue natural and organic farming among small producers and small agrarian reform beneficiaries, it can only resort to purchasing brown sugar and falsifying and fabricating documents. It is an unacceptable irony of its kind for an institution that uses employees and the small producers as accessories of its malpractice up to this day.
It is no surprise because from its establishment its leaders are the same leaders who captained the institution after almost forty years, extremely resistant to change where digitalization of technology is sidelined, instead of taking charge mainly in planning and decision making. Addressing its major gaps in a supply chain approach was seen and recognized but no action was taken.
What is quite “catastrophic” is the continuous refusal and denial to accept new ideas coming from people who are directly involved and knowledgeable in the operations or in the entire supply chain process. This is notwithstanding the leadership insecurity among these individuals resulting in the departure of many personnel who were supposed to be key instrumental people in its evolution and responsive to its institutional mission.
SELF-DESTRUCTION
As years pass by, this kind of leadership has brought this alternative institution to the brink of disaster, not only to its partner consumers, small producers, its employees, and other stakeholders, but also to the government where it continues to hide its malpractice – betraying and deceiving its market. It is running away from its partners but most definitely it can never hide. It is just a matter of time until this institution fully exposes itself, leading to self-destruction.
Whatever its predicament and circumstances are the result of its continued refusal to address the clear and present danger brought about by its poor, resistant to change and insecure outdated leadership. It continues to self-destruct and blaming this to others who only aggressively call for transparency and fairness by gradually addressing this major problem is a cheap trick.
What is more devastating it that these leaders have espoused the culture of malpractice and betrayal that is now being normalized among middle level management and even a few top level management personnel who were handpicked, but only to agree to what the top leaders want to be done and not the infusion of new ideas that is supposed to live up to its reputation as the alternative trading institution of the people’s products.
SMALL PRODUCERS AS AESTHETICS
It is also disheartening that these leaders consider the small producers as incapable of decision-making and management even in the production aspect as their area of expertise. They are only used as aesthetics to the propaganda of lies of this institution only to sustain its partnership based on malpractice.
For any important product that the domestic and especially the international consumers continue to support the small producers have no participation in decision making but only mouthed as “reason for existence” of this impostor alternative trading organization.
This is more than enough reason why the majority of these small producers have officially declared to end their so called “organic” and “fair trade” partnership from this impostor alternative trading organization.*
