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The contradictions of Minister Nadir

Mar 26, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
I note the recent statements on Child Labour by the Minister of Labour Mr. Manzoor Nadir. The SN of Sunday 21st March, 2009 says: “Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir yesterday reaffirmed his position that an amendment to the law should be considered to allow children between the ages of 13 and 15 to work in certain conditions.”
The Kaieteur News of 18th March sports a headline that says: “Guyana does not have a child labour problem – Nadir”. In that report, the minister suggests that: “…the problem is that many mistakenly conclude that child labour and truancy as being the same thing”.
Speaking of protection of children he goes on to say: “…legislation was passed to further promote this protection”.  But a Caribbean Daily News article (http // www. caribbeandailynews. com? p= 8664 &c page =1) quotes Mr. Nadir as saying: “We are going to hyping up our anti-child labour programme even more in the next few months…” this was after he admitted in the same article that: “…child labour continues to be a major issue in the society…”.
Is it that Mr. Nadir was caught speaking through both sides of his mouth?  Or is it a case where there are two different stories; one for local and the other for international consumption?
Mr. Editor, the International Labour Organisation knows first-hand that there is a problem with child labour in Guyana. Their representatives were here and conducted surveys and actual project type interventions to combat child labour in Guyana over the period 2002-2004.
Rising unemployment, stagnant wages, absence of investment both from local and foreign investors and a high rate of school drop outs at the level of primary school are known factors in our society.
This combination of factors cannot in any way lead to a reduction of what the ILO found of child labour here in the course of their work.
Government’s policy (if it could be called that) to train school drop outs in the thousands each year, give a $1,000 a month pittance to thousands of single parents in day care vouchers further confirms that parents cannot adequately provide for their children in Guyana today.
It also confirms that we no longer have what it takes to keep our children in school. The conditions are ripe for exploitation of children. Poverty is the chief culprit. Poor government policies conspire with poverty to worsen the prospects for our children.
Now Mr. Nadir tells us that, we must legislate for our 13-year-olds to work.
The compulsory maximum age for being in school is 15. Why is the Minister proposing that we make one law to conflict with another? This is the same as obtains where the age of (sexual) consent is 16 but another law makes it legal for a girl to have an abortion at age 13 without her parents’ knowledge or consent.  What a mess we are in!
What a government we have!  Mr. Nadir knows that in the PPP’s constituencies, child labour abounds. He wants us to wish away that fact through legislation. Don’t try that Mr. Nadir! Like me you were once a child; like me, you have children. Let’s protect the nation’s children. Propose some sound economic measures to create opportunities which will help the parents in Guyana become better providers for their children. I will support that; not the nonsense you are now recommending.
Mervyn Williams, MP

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