…Chandarpal sees dark motive behind attacks on union, Chand

THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) remains divided over the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union handling of the sugar industry restructuring programme, with top executives both praising and criticising the union’s leadership on the issue.

Sources told the Guyana Chronicle that the attack on GAWU President Komal Chand in an article earlier this week in the Guyana Times would widen the inner-party divisions. Chand is seen as one of the few Jaganites remaining in the PPP. The source said these divisions were caused by party General-Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, who unilaterally dumped the long-standing policy of both the party and the union against privatisation of the sugar industry. “Jagdeo discarded a policy held sacred since Dr. Jagan was at the helm. He did so without the consent of the Central Committee or party congress,” one stalwart said, asking not to be identified by name.

Jagdeo last week Friday declared: “Now that the termination has been done … we were opposed to it — closure of these estates but we will push…we hope that we can get decent private investment into these estates. This is a position that we have changed because we were saying ‘no closure,’ but now that there is closure, there is no job that we can… we can get decent investments into this,” Jagdeo was quoted as saying by Demerarawaves. He said the PPP would support any initiative with “decent investors” to get jobs for sugar workers, adequate land, more cash for small loans and immediate payment of accurately calculated severance.

On Wednesday, another subtle attack on Chand continued with PPP, MP Anil Nandlall declaring that GAWU should have taken a non-negotiable stance on the issue of payment of severance to sugar workers. “Quite frankly, I believe that GAWU should have ensured, demanded and taken a non-negotiable position when it comes to severance that all must be paid…” Nandlall was quoted in the Guyana Times as saying.

However, long-standing party member and parliamentarian, Indra Chandarpal has defended Chand, saying that comments on his stewardship hold no weight. She declared that Chand, who happens to fill the opposition seat directly behind her is an “honourable” man. “I will not be paying any attention to what was said in the Guyana Times,” she told the Guyana Chronicle. The MP said that coming from a family of sugar workers, as far as she is aware, “GAWU has always been on the side of sugar workers.” She said she believes that sugar workers believe in GAWU and hinted to a questionable motive by the statements in the Guyana Times article.

Pact
Government and the sugar unions last Friday agreed to work together to resolve the issues within the industry and President David Granger urged all stakeholders to put aside all prejudices and partisan interests for the national good. President Granger and some senior members of his cabinet, including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, met the President and members of the GAWU and the NAACIE to discuss the future of the sugar industry.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), the meeting lasted approximately two hours and the stakeholders were able to find common ground. At the meeting unions agreed to cooperate fully with government to find a solution that would benefit all stakeholders. In his address to representatives of the unions, President Granger said Friday’s meeting represented the start of talks between the sides, so that consensus can be reached soonest on the way forward. “This is a national matter. It is not a partisan one. It involves human beings, households and families. We are conscious of the foresighted nature and we cannot ignore the context of the issue that we face. We cannot continue something that is not competitive. We are bailing out the industry at $1B per month and that is simply not sustainable.”

For his part, Chand said: “We have listened and we are satisfied that you are concerned with the issues. We are ready to work along with the government to explore the options and we are going to give our best to see the situation out. You are right that there are no winners in this and we are willing… We are certainly pleased with this meeting. This is the first meeting [for the year] we have been able to have with the government and we believe that the meeting took place in a positive atmosphere and we recognise that the government itself pays attention and I think that it is a good beginning.”
No claim of poor representation

Contacted on the issue, another PPP MP Juan Edgill said he did not wish to comment on the performance of GAWU and its president. The former junior finance minister who had earlier marched front line with sugar workers in Berbice, said he had discussions in certain factions and none had made poor representation claims or called for Chand’s resignation. For that reason, Edgill said, “I prefer not to comment on it.” Chief Whip Gail Teixeira also opted to keep her comments to herself regarding Chand and his representation of workers and whether she felt their call for his resignation was justified. She said that the PPP is a political party and they have always declared that the Guyana Sugar Corporation must find all the money to pay off retrenched sugar workers. Although Chand is a longstanding member of the PPP and the president of the sugar workers union, Teixeira indicated that the party and the union are different entities that think differently based on their beliefs.