Dear Editor,
IT is sad to see the lengths to which some will go for their personal political gains and power. I would like to bring to the attention of all, the recent act of child abuse, or political abuse in the form of using under-aged children in protest, to score political points by the PPP and GAWU.
On Wednesday 16th May 2017, I was looking at a video on GAWU’s FB page. It was showing the protest that was held the said day by residents\sugar workers in the Canje area, Region Six. On that video, the PPP MP in Region Six, Dr Mahadeo, had the guts during school hours to commend a young man in school uniform for leading the protest. That was very shameful that this MP who sits in the highest law-making office could have encouraged a schoolchild to stay away from school. He also mentioned that there are other schoolchildren in the protest.
It amazes me that when the PPP was in power, the then Minister of Education introduced a ‘No Child Left Behind Policy.’ The minister and the PPP were against children absenting from school\classes. Shame on this man that also preaches peace and religion. It seems that he too can use anybody for his personal political gains and so are the rest of the PPP.
Those children know nothing as to what they are protesting for. They were used by the PPP and GAWU. I am sure that this PPP MP has relatives going to school at that moment. Why he did not encourage his under-aged relatives to be part of something they knew nothing about?. He would not do that, but used other under-aged children. The PPP and GAWU should be ashamed to use those children for their gains.
All that the MP and the rest of the speakers were doing was calling government members names and putting the people against each other. They did not tell the workers and protesters that they are the ones who ensured that sugar workers suffer. They never told the protesters that under the PPP they had plans to close the industry but was afraid, because of their political future if that was to be done. They never told the workers that GAWU sold out their rights while the PPP was in power. They never told the workers about the estates they closed and that many had lost their jobs and livelihoods.
It is a shame to see the nasty and dirty work that the PPP and GAWU officials are doing. They are back to operation destroy Guyana if we can’t get power. All that the PPP wants is power. I will say this: as long as a country is on its way towards betterment and an opposition political party wants power, they will organise mass protests and strikes. I can recall in May 2015 it was the then PPP CEO of GuySuCo, who had wanted to close the entire operations of GuySuCo down. Yet the workers and GAWU didn’t see it fit then to strike.
Today under this APNU+AFC Government, GuySuCo will still survive and lots of workers will still be working. The PPP needs to tell the workers the truth and let it be known. They need to stop lying and getting workers and their families to be stressed out. They need to ask GAWU to relax taking union dues for the next seven months from the workers so that the workers can enjoy that amount being paid to GAWU. It will go to their children to spend.
If GAWU so cared for the workers, then they should relax the union dues for the rest of the year. If the PPP so cared, then take the raise that was given to MPs that you all said you will not accept and give it to the workers. PPP, if you so cared then put all of the MPs money for the rest of the year in a fund for the sugar workers children. Don’t just show the world you all care, prove it. Don’t provoke the situation for political gains and power.
Stop using the under-aged children.
Regards
Abel Seetaram