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Ramjattan implores PPP to cease promoting ethnic division
– says “it will do no good for Guyana”
By Abena Rockcliffe
Minister Ramjattan during his presentation
Vice President and Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday pleaded with members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to stop the promotion of ethnic division in Guyana.
The Minister made this call in the National Assembly as he took the floor to make his contribution to the Budget debate.
Ramjattan spoke extensively on crime and security, but before getting to that aspect of his presentation, the Minister sought to “set the record straight.”
Members of the opposition have been repeatedly making references on the floor of the National Assembly to “ethnic cleansing.” Many of these references were in response to the APNU+AFC government’s move to stop paying over 2,000 Amerindians to be Community Support Officers (CSOs).
With racism being such a taboo subject, none of the government’s Members of Parliament who have spoken so far, attempted to address it. However, Ramjattan, who was regarded by his colleagues as “the big man himself” boldly, addressed the issue.
“I want to make mention of what the opposition has been doing with regards to all the talk about this ethnic cleansing…It would do the country no good unless the actual facts are stated with regards to the CSOs.”
Before stating what he labeled as “the facts,” Ramjattan sought to caution the PPP that its political tactics in this regard would do more harm than anything else for Guyana.
As he continued, Ramjattan asserted that the CSOs could not be regarded as employees of the State, as there were no contracts of employment, no terms and conditions and no real wage.
He reminded that APNU and the AFC, while in opposition, had opined that it is not wise to dole out money to the Amerindians for no good reason.
“We always objected…we said over and over that it was not the way to go; to give over 2000 people $30,000 each for doing no real work. What you guys were doing was buying the votes of the Amerindians.”
Stressing that the 2,000 youths were never actually employed, Ramjattan said that his government has better plans for the Amerindians. He then held up a piece of paper which he said proved that the PPP government had only planned to pay the CSOs up to April, days before the holding of the last elections.
“We did not knock off anybody, because they were never employed. So you must not give the impression that the people were terminated and then state that it was ethnic cleansing. You guys were only going to pay them until April and I have Cabinet records to prove it.”
Speaking about a new arrangement that is set to be put in place, Ramjattan said that many of the CSOs can now register for skills training under a hinterland programme for employment preparation “in that way, if they register for the training, they will get the money, but you just don’t dole out money like that.”
“So it was not ethnic cleansing, you guys were doing some…”
Before he could have completed his sentence, his colleague, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge shouted “you were using tax dollars to pay people to do PPP work.” It was then Ramjattan continued “yes, all you guys were doing was buying votes.”
He further stated that despite the fact that PPP may want to call the new government de facto, “the fact is we are the government of the day and if the people feel we are not doing a good job democracy will take its course and they can make another choice.”
“All the international experts that Cheddi Jagan used to call up came: the OAS, Carter Center and all of them said yes, indeed this election was free and fair. The independent election Commission said that it was free and fair, you can still go for your recounts, but you must have some respect for this government. Don’t try to say we are doing any ethnic cleansing.”
In response to this, PPP MP Gail Teixeira, stretched her hands straight out in front of her then started to move them up and down in unison with her head as if bowing in reverence as she sarcastically shouted, “hail, hail.”
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