Andaiye was correct about Ramotar’s lack of sympathy for workers

Dec 05, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
After I read Andaiye’s letter (Kaieteur News, 1st December 2010) in response to PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar’s statement in SN, 29th November, 2010), I had a rethink.
The poorer majority has definitely been suffering nowadays and the PPP government needs to reset. An incident which occurred came back in a rush. When President Cheddi Jagan died, the usual crowd gathered outside State House where he and his wife Janet Jagan lived.
Because it was Georgetown, the majority of the crowd was Afro Guyanese with the usual compliment of other race groups. An elderly Afro Guyanese lady, sobbing very loudly and obviously distraught, attracted attention.
“Lady wha you cryin so haad-haad?”…”Wha-mek meh cryin? …wha-mek meh crying? A gun tell yuh wha-mek meh  cryin. When PNC wuz in powah  meh does only eat one meal a day. Since dis coolie man tun President, me belly ful full. Meh eatin three square meals a day. Dat  is wha-mek meh cryin!”
No one can doubt that Guyana has indeed made economic progress with its new roads, schools, hospitals, hotels, cultural, medical, educational facilities and real commitment to agriculture. While the police and armed forces have scored successes in crime fighting the overall crime scene leaves much to be desired.
But the Jagans and previous PPP’s historical legacy of service for the poor and destitute regardless of race, gender and religion seems to have been given a lower profile by the Jagdeo government.
Guyana’s economic progress has not been accompanied by a rise in the standard of living for the overwhelming majority of its population even though I must admit that President Jagdeo has skillfully prevented Guyana from being drastically affected by the present world economic crisis.
When Andaiye quoted Ramotar that, “now we have a news dispensation with a government sympathetic to the working people…the centuries of confrontation between management and workers will not disappear in a day”, she dissected it with astuteness.  Ramotar seems to be out of touch with Guyana’s political realities. Any future leader must know how his base feels and his statement damages his chances of being the best PPP presidential candidate. I do not believe for a moment that Mr. Remotar is against sugar workers. But in revisiting his statement after reading Ms Andaiye’s letter I saw it from a different perspective.
Who is Mr. Ramotar representing as a board member at GuySuCo? Sugar workers, the PPP/Civic government, GuySuCo management or the PPP party?  When ‘The Donald’ pointed out, “that there are many big challenges with price cuts with a loss of US$45 million (G$10 Billion)” and GuySuCo “decided to work on a strategy of cutting cost” he must consider the consequences of such a decision on its workers.
While he mentions that the Skeldon Sugar Factory was an answer, he fails to explain or understand why and what are, “the other issues challenging the (GuySuCo) corporation (that) has to do with a low worker turnout with a 50% average turnout of harvesting at crop time.”
The present leaders of the current PPP/civic government must deal with the new reality that sugar workers cannot survive economically on the pittances they are getting from GuySuCo. Any good economist knows that to change workers’ low turnout their wages must be increased.
Well Ms Andaiye, (who was not always my favourite WPA politician) has certainly opened my eyes to the fact that that, “they, like all those who struggle on wages or low wages or seasonal wages, see life differently from Mr. Ramotar”.
The last time Mr. Ramotar dismissed voter apathy amongst PPP supporters I dismissed it as just following party directives not to show cowardice. Now he is insensitive to the PPP base support. Without them the PPP/C cannot win any election. It has also now become too obvious that some leaders, not all, in the present PPP/C government are living too lavish a lifestyle inconsistent with the history of the Jagans and their struggles for the poor.
I grew up all my life in a mosquito infested sugar estate, walked through muddy streets and have always been sympathetic to the PPP. That is slowly changing since the passing of the Jagans.
The PPP/Civic will lose the 2011 elections because they have alienated their base. While Ramotar may be a gentleman, he is not an original thinker. Clement Rohee will always be a heavyweight in the PPP, while Ralph Ramkarran will make an excellent President when the Guyana constitution is changed to that of a figurehead Presidency similar to that of Trinidad and India. He has demonstrated a decency that commands, like his father Boysie Ramkarran, the respect of the combined opposition and all Guyanese. He is an excellent Speaker of parliament and not power hungry. But with the PNC likely to name former GDF head David Granger as its standard bearer the PPP/C’s best bet is Moses Nagamotoo. A Granger presidency threatens Guyana with a return of all the PNC’s past mode of behaviour. Nagamootoo is well liked in the opposition and his deep grounding in the PPP base will cause him to adapt to the new Guyana realities; he knows for sure what the poor and destitute face and understands why there must be a strong press and democracy.
Nagamotoo’s familiarity with tradition and the PPP rank and file, offers the best possibility of recapturing its disenchanted supporters. No other candidate for any political party has experience serving in a cabinet except Rohee and Nagamootoo.
The biggest metamorphosis will have to come from those of the PPP hierarchy who want to exemplify meaningful change. Their decision on Nagamootoo will be a signal of their sincerity which will affect the future of Guyana. If they cannot reconcile, rehabilitate and reunite with their own, they are ill equipped to reconcile all of Guyana.
PPP supporters have already demonstrated by their apathy and voting with their feet how they currently feel.
Sultan Mohamed

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