The PPP and its affiliate, GAWU destroyed the sugar union

Jul 13, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Over the past few months, we saw for the first time since 1992 real-time representation being given to sugar workers. Between the years 1992-2015, we saw a sleeping PPP and GAWU killing the sugar industry, be it by fooling the workers or by not representing them and mismanagement of Guysuco.
I was amazed on July 9th, 2017, when I was watching a PPP propaganda program on LRTVS called “In perspective” hosted by PPP’s MP Zulikar Mustapha. This man dictates what he wants to hear from the callers. He disconnects callers that tell him the truth. Well, the man may be doing that to protect himself because of the lies he has been peddling amongst Berbicians and sugar workers.
Firstly, this MP needs to educate himself, the leader of the PPP and fellow MPs, because the sugar industry will not be closing down. The PPP has been spreading the lies amongst sugar workers and their families that the APNU+AFC government will be closing down the sugar industry by the end of 2017.
There will be a few estates closed so as to make Guysuco and the sugar industry profitable again. It is really a sad thing to see the manner in which the PPP and its associates are lying to the workers – that the Industry will be closed. Readers, we need to understand that it is the PPP and GAWU that brought the industry to this state. They are the ones that failed the workers since 1992. Between 1992 to May 2015 let GAWU (which is an arm of the PPP) tell the nation and the sugar workers, how many strikes did they call? GAWU must tell us, why they sold the rights of sugar workers during those years?
The PPP is so mischievous and wicked that they are using the sugar workers for their personal gain in politics. The MP on his program said that the PPP never closed any estate during their time. Well this MP’s memory is failing him or he has set out to lie because, under the dictatorship of Bharrat Jagdeo, the doors of Diamond and LBI Estates were closed.
During that time GAWU never called out workers to protest. GAWU did not fight for those workers. Today GAWU is barefacedly telling the sugar workers it cares. Hell no! GAWU only cares about its union dues every week, even if the poor worker is employed for one day. The PPP knew that the Industry would one day fall to its knees, because they were mismanaging its affairs. They knew of the cut in sugar prices. They knew that the industry was running at a loss. But, did they attempt to start a diversification program in the late 1990’s and early 2000 that would have seen the survival of the industry?
They took billions upon billions of dollars and built a factory at Skeldon and call it the Skeldon modernization project. They told the nation that this project would see the turnaround in the sugar industry and that electricity would be generated there also. They fooled the people of this nation, as they have been doing since 1992.
How can you modernise something for the future that has no future? The PPP was playing games with the workers because they knew if they told the truth about the industry, they would lose votes and support mainly from the sugar workers who are Indians. The MP said that the PPP can’t allow the industry to close its doors because their foreparents are the ones that toiled and laboured on the plantations when they came to Guyana. Well the MP needs to understand that our foreparents would have never allowed PPP and GAWU to “eye pass” the rights of workers.
Instead of the PPP spending hundreds of billions on Skeldon Modernization Project, they should have started a sugar worker dependent fund or a revolving fund for the workers. So that they could have started their own little businesses knowing the industry will one day fall to its knees. But NO! The PPP and GAWU didn’t want that, if that was done they would have empowered the workers to be self-sustainable and then those very workers would not have listened to their lies and deception.
So the aim and objectives of the PPP and GAWU was and presently is to keep the workers under their thumbs so that they can use them whenever the need arises. And that has been happening since 1992 to date. When I called into the TV program the PPP MP quickly said he will not listen to me and cut me off. On my second call, he disconnected the call and ended the program.
Well, let me say to the PPP and GAWU that workers are becoming aware of the facts and they are now feeling betrayed by both of you and one day will call a spade a spade. Stop calling protest, marches and rallies and allow the workers to work and earn, so that their families can have a better life. GAWU needs to stop taking union dues from the workers knowing that they helped and worked hand in hand with PPP to kill the industry. PPP needs to accept that the EU monies could have been used to do better things than build the SKELDON FACTORY.
I call on sugar workers and their families to educate themselves about the people that brought this downfall of sugar. Guysuco has a future but sugar is bleak and we must remember, although the PPP says that sugar has a future, the EU announced recently that they will not give more monies to the ailing sugar industry. So, where would the PPP find funds (as they are claiming) to turn around the sugar industry should they get back into government? They had 23 years and all they did was to turn a blind eye to sugar workers and the industry.
People, we must not be fooled by the PPP and GAWU. Here is a challenge to the PPP and GAWU if they so care for sugar workers. They have announced a rally to be held in Berbice, I challenge the PPP to announce at that rally, that their MPs will give up all their parliamentary salaries from July to December 2017 and put it towards the welfare of sugar workers. I challenge GAWU to announce at that really, that they will not be collecting union dues from workers during July 2017 to July 2018. Let’s see if the PPP and its partner GAWU care about the welfare of the workers and their families.
Abel Seetaram
APNU+AFC
Regional Councillor

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