ONE of the unfortunate problems that plague our political turf is the lack of objective analyses, magnanimity and fairness from those who are opposed to the present government. It is not that the government is without faults or mistakes and should be constructively criticised accordingly.

In fact, it is this government which restored press freedom in Guyana which was muzzled for a long period of our post-colonial history. However, the difficulty is when these opponents resort to distortion of facts, misinformation, deception, half truths and barefaced lies in their efforts to malign the government.

Nevertheless, there are still many who have a conscience and therefore are objective and rational in their analyses of the performance of the government. One such person, in recent times, is Mr. Harry Gill, who has been making scathing criticisms of the government, but at the same time has been quick to acknowledge and recognise the great strides our country has made under the current government.

This is the kind of people our society needs if we are going to move the pace of development at the desired pace.
Magnanimity is one of the key yardsticks that measure the maturity of a nation and its citizens.

There are some critics who are lashing out against people who are objectively supporting the development thrust and projects, programmes and policies which they feel are good for their country.

So it is clear that these cynics firmly believe that people should only criticise the government and those that are supportive of the government’s policies and programmes do not have a right to say so publicly.

And what is hypocritical is the fact that these are the very persons who are saying that Guyana is not a democratic society. Well, perhaps they are referring to themselves.
Recently, a vitriolic trade unionist critic of the government spewed venom against another union which traditionally has been anti-PPP, as being a sell-out because it has concluded an excellent  multi-year package with the government for teachers.
For these vitriolic trade unionists, the only approach they know is a confrontational one because of their deep-seated hatred for the current government and anyone or any organisation that speaks favourably about this government will come in for a severe tonguelashing.

One wonders where were these characters when the PNC government made teachers into virtual pawns and they had to accept whatever pittance was given  them.
One of the strangest things is that these so-called trade unionists have usurped the leadership of the GTUC through the banding together of several paper unions as the bulk of the genuine trade unions have an alternative trade union umbrella, having pulled out from the GTUC because of  undemocratic practices and lack of accountability.

Therefore, it was good to hear that the President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Mr. Colin Bynoe  stood his ground and set the records straight.

Bynoe countered that the GTUC has not been involved in the negotiations process, and therefore is not in possession of all the facts regarding the agreement made, but has been quick to react to actions of its affiliates.

Referring to shortcomings in the stewardship of the GTUC, Bynoe urged that rather than cussing out affiliates and airing dirty linen in public, the GTUC should have engaged the relevant stakeholders and understand the circumstances surrounding the inking of the multi-year package for teachers.
“Lewis has dirty linen of his own…Lewis should know better,” the GTU President said.
He stressed that trade union officials should not engage in cosmetic dressing of the concept of unity, but rather, they should engender unity through respect for affiliates.
He stressed that the agreement has secured reasonable benefits for teachers, especially when one considers that other Caribbean countries have not agreed on additional benefits for teachers this year.

The recent inking of the multi-year remuneration package between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Government brings to an end an unfair tradition that has been with the profession for a long time.
No longer will a teacher who has been in the system for years receive the same salary as a teacher of the same status who has recently joined the profession.
Some $50M or one per cent of the teachers’ wage bill has been set aside for this new scheme which is expected to be implemented by the end of this month.
These non-salary benefits, inter alia, include an annual clothing allowance of $8,000 per annum; an annual allocation of $40M for the Housing Revolving Fund for the next five years to facilitate the construction of houses for teachers; the granting of return air fares/bus fares at the end of each school term for teachers who leave their homes on the coast to serve in the hinterland; a 50 per cent increase on station allowances; the payment of Whitley Council leave allowance to eligible teachers at the end of the month in which they qualify for such payment; and the granting of 30 scholarships per year, tenable at the University of Guyana, in accordance with programmes approved by the Ministry of Education.