Georgetown: An evident agitated Head of State, Donald Ramotar, earlier today lashed out at the political opposition and also took a swipe at workers in general as he addressed the May Day Rally at the National Park. He kicked off his presentation by amplifying the importance of the global environment which he noted has been leading to higher un-employment around the world.
Surrounded by his deputy, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; Minister of Labour, Dr Nanda Gopaul and Culture Minister Frank Anthony among others, when the President rose to speak from the podium, it was clear that the day religiously observed by workers has lost its appeal.
This however, did little to daunt Ramotar, who proceeded to inform those that had remained and numbered less than a thousand individuals that a lot of what the political opposition has been able to achieve in the House was due to a divided labour movement in Guyana. He said that in today’s world,
Guyana finds itself at a difficult cross-road not just from external forces, but from factors within.
Speaking to one of the more influential external factors that has affected Guyana in recent times the President reminded of the cut in preferential pricing for Guyana’s Sugar by the European Union.
This, he said, was done “at the stroke of a pen” and the Europeans reneged on a long standing agreement that cost Guyana some US$45M a year, “and we were still able to avoid the worst consequences.”
This avoidance of an even dire consequence was a result of investment in the country, he noted, adding that the administration has from 1992 been open to scrutiny. He spoke of investment in the field of education and pointed to Guyanese already reaping the rewards and drew reference to the recent results at CAPE and other regional examinations where the Nation excelled.
The Head of State was adamant that one of the things that labour in Guyana must strive to do and do it urgently is to heal the wounds of divisions to bring unity to the work class of Guyana.”
He said that it was the fact that the labour union is so divided which made it possible for “Ramjattan and the others to do what they did in Parliament to cut the budget that affects our people.” “it is because you have division that they have done so,” saying that had the working call in Guyana been an united one then the opposition parties would not have risked making the budget cuts.
He said that, “it’s that division that has empowered them…I say to you Comrades that we must not judge a man, we must not judge a political party by what they say of themselves but we must judge them by their actions.”
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