Grassroots View

Jul 25, 2010 Features / Columnists, Ravi Dev

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I had a visit last Friday from two old (not in age) foot-soldiers from the ROAR days. After they had helped to (literally) close up shop back in 2007, we had met sporadically but this time they wanted to have a good, old-fashioned gaff. They were both cane-cutters (I have never heard them, or any other cane-cutter, refer to themselves as “cane-harvesters”, which is the euphemism that GuySuCo insists on using.) in their late thirties who had been quite active when we had launched the Guyana Sugar Workers Union in 1999/2000. Mukesh was the more articulate of the two. He had once appeared on a Spotlight programme, hosted by Grantley Walrond, who was so taken by his views (there is, after all, the stereotype of the “brute force and ignorance” cane-cutter ) that he was invited back on his own. Krishna was the more thoughtful and deliberate one.
As we “threw back” on my deck overlooking a serene Atlantic after reminiscing about the past, I asked them how were “things” in the backdam. “Not too bad, you know,” was the surprising reply. Not that I hadn’t known that wages had increased since our days of mobilisation, but that I also knew that cane-cutters were inveterate gripers. It was not just the wages – during the grinding season, they admitted that they averaged at least $25,000 weekly and even more when they were paired with Bell Loaders – but they were not harassed as much by management. There was now a chronic shortage of cane-cutters, and while those that showed up for work were not exactly treated with kid gloves, neither were they given a “hard card”.
But what about the “out-of-grinding” season, which had ballooned at Uitvlugt, given the poor field conditions? Historically, this had always been a sore point for sugar workers, and while they had won a guaranteed four-day work in this period, the wages had been so meagre that it drove away all but the most desperate. Well, I was informed, most workers did not even deign to seek “out-of-crop” work since they could hire themselves out to building-contractors (not only single homes, but whole schemes were sprouting on West Coast), fishing boats etc. Those that chose to work on the estate could take their pick of trench cleaning, replanting dead cane etc where they could take home at least $2-2500 daily. Few were stuck with the dreaded grass weeding that garnered a measly $1200 daily – but which was still not scorned since it “at least brought in market money”.
So weren’t cane-cutters dissatisfied? Sure they were, “Cane-cutters are always dissatisfied but not so much so as to vote for another party.” They meant of course, for a party other than the PPP. And the discussion (inevitable) segued into politics: notwithstanding their protestations, it was in their blood. I asked them if they had joined up with any of the parties. “Nah…we don’t see them on the Order Lines (the 5 am worker assembly points awaiting transportation to the fields). They will only come around after the elections are called.” But I saw some of them at Wales when there were some problems there, I protested. “They’re only “taking advantage”,” was the retort, “you’ll never see them back to follow up and organise workers. They have been forgotten.”
In general, they agreed, most people were focusing in making a living and had little time for politicians and politics. But what about all this corruption we’re hearing about? Krishna had an old car when I first knew him (bought with the help of relatives) which he ran as “hire” to supplement his income. I noticed he had upgraded since and during the out-of-crop he now worked at the new Tuschen Housing Scheme which was so massive that it supported a permanent taxi pool. He said he had ample opportunity to talk to ordinary folks as he dropped them off. First of all, he pointed out they were very happy that they had been given house lots, where they could now build homes with very cheap – and easily available – loans. Not to be sneezed at.
But I had gone in to Tuschen recently and had seen the terrible roads – which had been built not so long ago. Weren’t the people upset? They were upset, all right, replied Krishna. Upset at the contractors and at the big sand trucks, but not at the government as the opposition politicians were harping. Krishna’s observation that maybe the roads in a new housing scheme ought to have been built to deal with sand trucks usage in mind – since sand could be flown in – didn’t cut any ice. The government would fix the roads when all is done.
What about the drug problem? They both concurred that every village now had its share of drug users and dealers. They saw this as a big problem that was getting bigger every day. Mukesh had joined his local Community Policing Group and felt that this program might hold the key to dealing with the local problem. What about the PPP’s insistence that these policing groups be controlled by their hand-picked supporters and consequently diluting their effectiveness? That’s all in the past, assured Mukesh. From where he stood, he didn’t see Rohee interfering. And the drug smugglers? Most people surmised that since some had become millionaires overnight with multiple homes and cars, that their wealth could not have come from just sweat. Drugs were suspected but there was no general outrage…especially when the new homes had to be built using local labour and the cars had to be driven by local chauffeurs.
So what did they see at the upcoming elections? A return of the PPP – even though, Mukesh, an ex-PPP stalwart, admitted that almost none of the PPP village groups were functioning. The opposition just was not working at the grassroots level to bring out their supporters much less to win over PPP supporters. The PPP still had better electioneering machinery. What about the Big Tent being put up? That tent, they concluded – disagreeing frankly with what they had read in my articles – would never stay up. Too many “big ones”.

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