DURING my school days I was often lucky to be a part of quite a few school trips to Enmore, when our school took part in proceedings on Enmore Martyrs’ Day. This year, I followed the commemoration via radio, and I think that much more could have been done. We must not allow Enmore Martyrs’ Day to be downplayed at all. On this note, I make reference to two important addresses on the day: one from the President, and the other from the Labour Minister, Mr. Nanda Gopaul.Mr. Editor, there was first the focus on the need to ‘fight to remove obstacles to development.’ This is so vital. I instantly thought of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill. The Opposition and other enemies of the State have nothing to object to in the Bill, and yet the APNU/AFC combination, because of a one-seat majority in the National Assembly, will not allow this all-important Bill to be passed. This is the height of being vindictive and counter progressive. Already, the consequences of not passing this Bill are being felt.
I know we had a very dismal pre-1992 era, and people are still reeling from the effects of the then dictatorship, but we now have come a far way, in terms of democracy. We now have freedom to express our views and live our lives in the way we want to. The Housing Sector is booming and we are making great strides in education and healthcare. We really need to pass this AML/CFT (Amendment) Bill. What I see here, from the Opposition, is a calculated move to block progress and development; this is how badly the members therein want to make the ruling Administration look bad. They will stop at nothing.
I recall how these slain workers, way back in 1948, struggled and gave their lives for better working conditions. I am happy to note that today workers in Guyana are well protected, under special Labour Laws, allowing for minimum wages and fixed number of working hours. This kind of approach is unprecedented and it allows for motivation towards building the country.
Prior to this kind of thing, the situation in Guyana used to be “very oppressive” back then in the colonial era, when housing, education, health and just about everything were dictated by plantation owners. This got even worse under the PNC, during its tenure, leading up to 1992. Life in Guyana became most bitter and the country actually fell into abject poverty.
I am now happy to mouth off my agreement that “today much has changed” and that there is a “… commitment to advancing developments in the interest of the Guyanese people.”
I repeat that some areas have come a long way, and with promise to go even further; and these are education, health, housing, and agriculture. In some instances, this country is seen as a model. That is why I call on the good-minded people of this nation to come out and condemn the Opposition for what is happening with the AML/CFT (Amendment) Bill. I have no apologies for deeming the Opposition as one that is ‘an obstacle to progress.’

CEDRIC LORD