The GAWU saw Dr Joey Jagan’s letter which appeared in the April 21, Kaieteur News. Dr Joey in his letter, in seeking to wave the flag of relevancy, has sought to impute issues which, from our point of view, have no bearing on the matters he raised in his initial letter and which our Union provided a response lest his maligned assertions be deemed factual.
In the most recent letter, Dr Joey questions, ostensibly, our commitment to our union members and their plight. Certainly, we hold, that our commitment has been tangibly seen over the years. Through our efforts, together with the workers, we have managed to expand and improve their lot and bring about betterment to them and their families. In more recent times, we have been proactive in our members defence as attempts have been furthered to deny them a livelihood and imperiling their welfare. While we are not one to blow our own trumpet we, at the same time, will not allow unanswered the desecration of character and the dedication of so many in the noble task of advancing workers rights and conditions.
Dr Joey says that US$300M was spent on Skeldon, this is the first time, we can recall, that this figure is touted. But the ‘good doctor’ can be excused recognizing his unfamiliarity with the sugar industry. On the matter, at hand, the GAWU has expressed, on several occasions, our concerns about the Skeldon project. We nevertheless recognized too that the missteps regarding the project cannot be disconnected from what appears to be dubious project management. That notwithstanding, we are aware too of the concerted efforts to bring about resolution to the maladies which plague the plant and, indeed, signs of improved performance were recorded. Also, the value of the project from the electricity stand point has been more than realized and demonstrates the worth of the project to the sugar industry.
Dr Joey also alleges that the sugar industry was bound to collapse but this, in our view, only further exposes his disconnect from the subject at hand. Sugar’s future was never confined to being solely and only a raw sugar producer, which it seems that the letter writer is asserting. We urge the doctor to read Mr Dustin Fraser’s letter which appeared in the April 21, Stabroek News. From Mr Fraser’s letter, Dr Joey will learn of some of the possibilities to assure sugar’s sustainability. These are some of the suggestions; the GAWU has been advancing for some time now.
The doctor also says that the “…the government… pays all sugar workers…”. By that token statement, it appears, Dr Joey is saying that the Government is engaged in discrimination recognizing that all other workers of the state have received improvements in pay and conditions whereas the sugar workers have received zero since 2015. Moreover, Dr Joey goes on to say that workers representatives in Parliament “…is unheard of in the history of trade unionism…”. We hasten to suggest that the letter writer reads Ashton Chase’s History of Trade Unionism in Guyana where he will learn that many trade unionists sat in the August House and this is by no means a new feature. Two of the most outstanding of them, but not only, were the revered Cde Cheddi Jagan and Boysie Ramkarran.
Dr Joey is also critical of the Union’s use of a car which admittedly, elicited a little laugh amongst us. But does the ‘good doctor’ really expect us to use a bicycle to go to the sugar estates which stretch from Skeldon to Uitvlugt? Surely, the ‘goodly doctor’ will recall that our celebrated leader Dr Jagan would use a car in order to travel to engage workers and others. It appears that Dr Joey is clutching at straws.
We see Dr Joey expressing criticism of former Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud. The doctor is well within his right to have an opinion. What is perplexing, however, was that Dr Joey, according to the October 25, 2011 Kaieteur News, sat, reportedly, close by to the very Minister when he “…announced his support for the Presidential Candidate, Donald Ramotar, saying that he has returned home to his father’s party”.
The doctor also appears critical of our association with Dr Cheddi Jagan though he well knows that his father was associated with our Union for many years. The GAWU is proud of that association which brought the sugar workers several improvements and we hail the contributions of Cde Cheddi in our long struggle for recognition as well as in other struggles engaged by the Union. We nevertheless agree with Dr Joey, that his father’s legacy and work belong to all Guyana and, therefore, it is disconcerting that serious efforts are being made to undermine the work of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre which is nobly continuing to highlight Cde Cheddi’s work.
Dr Joey also is critical of some of the projects initiated and continued under former President Donald Ramotar. What is interesting to us, is that Dr Joey in the October 25, 2011 Kaieteur News in glowing terms described the former President as “…a man of honour and is not a corrupt man, and I think he means to bring change to this country and change is what we need. I fought for change over and over and if Mr. Ramotar can bring change with the resources he has in his hand with a victory, then maybe that will help the country.” Again, how can we sincerely treat with Dr Joey’s utterances?
The GAWU is not sidetracked by the spurious innuendos of those who seek, for their own motivations, to besmirch the record of committed leaders and activists who are still involved in furthering our members and the workers of Guyana interest. We know that our efforts speak for themselves and we are resolved to continue to put our best foot forward.
