A SOCIAL CONTRACT FOR GUYANA


(This article, slightly amended, was first published in 2010 in the Mirror and Guyana Chronicle. It attracted no comments. Though somewhat dated,  the views might be considered still relevant).

Guyana is not unique in its system of adversarial politics. In fact, Guyana shares with most democratic countries an elected legislature to which competing parties seek membership. The extent of that membership depends on the votes received by political parties in elections. Each political party at these elections seek to persuade the electorate that it is the best equipped to lead the country. This continues in Parliament after the elections where the Government’s policies are subject to scrutiny by the opposition.

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A PETTING ZOO FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS


At Dr. Roger Luncheon’s press conference last week, the approval of funds for the establishment of a petting zoo took only second place to the continuing controversy over the USAID LEAD Programme to which the Government has taken objection. In announcing Government’s no objection to the expenditure of $32.5 million for the petting zoo, Dr. Luncheon publicly broke Cabinet solidarity by announcing his objection to the decision to fund the petting zoo which he harshly termed “foolishness” even though he did not know what it was.

It is not known if the tone of Dr. Luncheon’s weekly condemnation of people and things at his press conferences is in inverse proportion to the extent of his knowledge of the particular subject. The violence of his condemnation of the petting zoo, seems to suggest this to be the case. If so, it brings into focus the great strength of his objection to the USAID Project. Shouldn’t we conclude that he does not know what it is?

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‘HALL YUH ASS’


Just as the year was ending, a popular phrase used as often jocularly as insultingly, has become very contentious. Two politicians, who are likely to be with us for a long time, have been squabbling for two weeks over it. Unless resolved early in this New Year, the dispute can lead to the phrase dominating our political outlook. Its use may even be extended from politicians to the Guyanese people.

It will be recalled that Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan accused the Government of distributing the front lands on the East Bank to developers who were the Government’s supporters and allocating the back lands to low income Guyanese. Minister Ali, responsible for Housing, invited Mr. Ramjattan to a press conference at which he intended to address the accusations. Minister Ali’s staff, as instructed, reminded Mr. Ramjattan by telephone on the day of the press conference. What exactly transpired over the telephone is in dispute. However,  it is admitted by Mr. Ramjattan that he told Minister Ali’s staff to tell Minister Ali to ‘hall his ass.’

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LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND


The struggle of the working class and the organised activity of the trade union movement have substantially determined the course of Guyana’s history. While Guyana was not unique, it led the way with the formation in 1922 by Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow of the BGLU (British Guiana Labour Union), the first trade union registered in the British Empire in 1922.

Several trade unions were formed subsequently, among them the TWU (Transport Workers Union). Registered in 1938, it had become by the mid 1940s one of the largest and most militant. The Teare Strike by the TWU in 1947 was called to protest the suspension of two workers for trade union activity. It lasted for two weeks, crippled the movement of people and goods in the country and succeeded in its objective of obtaining a commitment that the contract of Colonel Teare, who was the authoritarian British General Manager of the Transport and Harbours Department, would not be renewed after it expired, an unheard of concession at that time. This strike most likely energised sugar workers and the GIWU (Guyana Industrial Workers Union), the predecessor to GAWU, into renewed struggle the following year, leading to the tragic loss of life at Enmore by the Martyrs.

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