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Komal Chand’s removal a plot for Jagdeo’s third term – PM Nagamootoo
PM Moses Nagamootoo in Berbice earlier this week.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo last Friday defended President of the Guyana Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU), Komal Chand’s move to work with the government to find a way forward for the workers made redundant by the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Addressing former workers and other stakeholders at a ministerial outreach at the Skeldon Community Centre, Nagamootoo said the effort of the opposition to vilify Chand is because of their narrow political agenda.
“Retrenchment was not in our will; we inherited that from the past government. They had already written that in for you, that you would be severed, that you would be done. All they wanted you for was to become a voting machine and today they want to get rid of Komal Chand, because the issue of a third term for the president comes up.
“They realise that the largest bloc of votes will vote in the Congress of the PPP, would come from the GAWU people. So, they want to remove Komal Chand,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.
He added that the opposition leader’s campaign to topple Komal Chand as leader of the GAWU has nothing to do with the workers’ interest but rather Jagdeo’s third term ambitions.
“…And so, ambitions are floating, and while ambitions are floating, we have no working solution from the opposition. If they care for sugar workers, they will come to meetings. But they were annoyed with GAWU, they were annoyed with NAACIE (National Association of Agricultural, Commercial Employees) for coming to talk to us, for us to find solutions to the problems,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo added.
GAWU’s Head, Komal Chand
Following GAWU and NAACIE’s acceptance of Government’s proposal to pay redundant workers severance in two parts, the Government statement said claimed that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, orchestrated a campaign to have Chand removed as head of the GAWU.
“Chand is one of the few long-standing supporters in the Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP) following the forced removal of stalwarts such as Ralph Ramkarran, Khemraj Ramjattan, and Moses Nagamootoo,” a Government statement on the issue said.
The privatisation and divestment of the cash-strapped sugar industry by the Coalition Government is not going down well for the Opposition, the unions and workers, despite the downward spiral of the industry in the last decade and billions of dollars annually in cash bailout.
Almost 5,000 workers from Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales estates have been sent home over the past year in the restructuring.
Workers from Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon started receiving their severance this past week.
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3 thoughts on “Komal Chand’s removal a plot for Jagdeo’s third term – PM Nagamootoo”
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Sir. Ronald Sanders
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WELL DONE NAGGA ..YOU FIRE THEM AND BLAME THE OTHER GUY…BRILLIANT!!!..
‘Komal Chand’s removal a plot for Jagdeo’s third term – PM Nagamootoo’
Just the fuse Jagdeo supporters were waiting for.
The name of Mosses against BJ
We all know that Mr. Chand was walking into the lion’s den after engaging the Government. Jagdeo is an unconscionable beast with a vile temper if he can treat his supposed wife in such sicken manner then Mr. Chand and any other person that don’t march to Jagdeo’s beat is in for some harsh treatment…