Dear Editor
IF, as seems clearly the case, that opposition leader Bharat Jagdeo, through captioned headlined story” Jagdeo to Public Servants: Collect salary increases, it’s nothing new”- Newsource, November 14, 2019, is attempting to portray himself as a responsible political leader, but at the same time, seeking to downplay the fact of the increases, then he is, as is expected on occasions when his past policies are put to shame, being politically dishonest.

Editor, this former president should keep his deceptive mouth firmly shut on such matters as improving public sector working conditions. Plainly said, he and his former government constructed a policy of keeping this very important category of the nation’s workers in economic bondage. And one need not state the obvious reasons why.

He did not perceive this key segment of the State’s functions as supporters of his party; and so he let them suffer. This was the same measure he applied to communities which were not his supporters – he denied them critical social amenities that were necessary for both improvement and enhancement of their communities.

By stating that the money for the increases were already ‘’budgeted since last year’’, is a load of thrash, as well as nonsensical, as he seems to be implying that there was nothing special about the percentages to be paid, and that the increases are a willo the wisp initiative, like Houdini pulling rabbits out of a hat. How much more ridiculous can Jagdeo become, by seeking to portray the government as not giving due thought to a very critical aspect of the national work force.

Any objective observer of government’s approach to wage increases in the public sector, would discern a clear consistency and purpose since 2015, that have been leading continuously to improving emoluments within this key sector. And surely, such has to be budgeted as part of any proper state’s financial planning.

Editor, for Jagdeo to be lamenting about members of the Disciplined Forces now worse off because they no longer benefit from the former one-month salary as a bonus..”is to continue playing politics with our security services, openly seeking to create dissension. His government’s extra one-month salary as bonus, in addition to increases, was not about interest in the welfare of those brave men and women whose task it was, and still is, to protect the nation in its respective social spheres; nor in their professional development. Instead, it was a strategy to ensure political control. But, it was not a facility that was granted to the other sections of the State work force.

Essentially, it was a one off that was given for financial spending at a time of the year that traditionally demands increase sums. One is not surmising here that every recipient would have followed the splurge line, even though there is the individual right of determining how and when to spend one’s dollar. But, it would have been interesting to do a survey as to how much of such an extra sum was set aside as savings. This is to challenge Jagdeo’s view of the worse off situation of members of the disciplined forces, because of the absence of the extra month’s salary.

The logic, one believes, of government’s percentage increase, is to continually build financial capacity in an incremental manner that will have the effect of meaningfully benefitting public servants over time. It was never Jagdeo’s intention for public servants to live sustainable economic lives. Since when did he ever care about public servants?

Regards
Mark Dacosta