The crude, unwise and insensitive outbursts of a son of Guyana speaking abroad

Oct 12, 2008 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
I attended the opening ceremony of the recent Seventh Biennial Delegates Congress of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) held in Bridgetown, Barbados.

As Guyana’s Honorary Consul, I was proud to see a Guyanese, Mr. Lincoln Lewis, the General Secretary of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), listed on the programme to bring greetings on behalf of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), of which he is the present General Secretary.

My pride soon turned to dismay and embarrassment when Mr. Lewis tried to tarnish the good image of his birthplace, including attempting to undermine the investment climate and cast aspersions on the generally law abiding, hard working Guyanese workers in Barbados.

Mr. Lewis spoke of “violation of human rights”, “forced migration” and Guyanese “suffering” at the hands of the Government there. He spoke of the crime situation.

Guyana was the only country he mentioned. Mr. Lewis was rather selective with his (mis) information. No government expects 100 per cent support,

that is why there are opposition parties in Guyana, as elsewhere in CARICOM. We in Guyana are moving towards better understanding and unity, as good and accountable governance deepens, the economy continues to improve, and standards of living continue to increase.

There are now free and fair elections, and opposition parties have unprecedented say in Parliamentary oversight and other committees.

Extensive Guyanese laws are there to ensure fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of speech and organisation for Guyanese working people of all races and religions. Guyanese civil servants represented by the GPSU have received unparalleled wage increases over the last 15 years.

Mr. Lewis spoke of crime. He referred to people not being safe “from those adorned in uniforms paid by the state.”

Instead of the head of this Guyanese trade union praising the security forces in Guyana for their good work in ferreting out the common criminals who have done so much damage to Guyanese society and its economy in recent years, Mr. Lewis appears to be undermining their work.

Instead of sympathising with the families of those ordinary, innocent Guyanese working women and men mowed down in recent slaughters in Lusignan and Bartica, as well as other victims of all races and religions, he appears to be praising criminals.

Guyanese, investors, tourists, and the Barbadian public he was addressing deserve assurances of security, not the ill-advised warping of information which infers that the criminals are somehow some sort of angels and heroes.

The disciplined forces in Guyana, as in Barbados, have a job to do, and the message has to be sent that the aforesaid criminals and terrorists should have heeded appropriate directives from law enforcement officers, who are mandated to preserve the gains and achievements of working people, farmers and patriotic business community which the Guyana Government represents.

I listened thoroughly to what Mr. Lewis said. I waited in vain for some commendable references about the good and documented said gains and achievements taking place in Guyana and benefiting all Guyanese working people in recent years. There was none.

He spoke of migration. Mr. Lewis referred to Guyanese criminals coming to Barbados. Has he no shame?
Instead of praising (as the Honourary Consulate does) the good, hard working Guyanese men and women who have done so much to help build up Barbados, help reduce its import food bill, and take care of many of its elderly and clean their homes, he tells Barbadians about Guyanese criminals in the island. What message is he sending to Bajans?

As with his charges about “suffering” and “human rights violations” in Guyana, Mr. Lewis provided no evidence or statistics about Guyanese “criminals” in Barbados, or at least a ratio situation out of proportion to their numbers.

One of the reasons I attended the opening ceremony was to witness the service award given to retired General Secretary of the Barbados Public Service Union, Comrade Joseph Goddard, an outstanding Barbadian trade unionist and my long time personal friend.

Mr. Goddard, along with the Barbados Minister of Labour, Hon. Arnie Walters, Gen. Secretary of host organisation, Barbados Workers Union, Sir Roy Trotman, and other knowledgeble trade unionists and invitees were undoubtedly embarrassed by Mr. Lewis’s crude and unwise outburst and insensitivity.

As we move towards more regional understanding and cooperation, including movements of working peoples among CARICOM countries, this type of divisive approach is also at odds with the CCL’s mandate.

I doubt, too, that Mr. Lewis’s remarks would be appreciated by decent, democratic-minded Guyanese in Lewis’s union itself, some of whom may have relatives working in Barbados.

Mr. Lewis needs to be more constructive and factual when speaking abroad about his country, which I am sure deep down he loves.
Norman Faria
(Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Barbados)

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