Does VP Jagdeo think poor Guyanese are dumb?

Jun 22, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is reported in your edition of June 12 as responding to an earlier question posed as follows: “So the cash grant was not designed to uplift people out of poverty as you think, it’s the jobs and training and the expanding of the economy… government is working to ensure that poor families are just trained, retooled, then ‘granted’ jobs that are created.” (They would have to apply and compete for employment)!

The above would appear to include:

– cleaning drains.

It is difficult to calculate what training, retooling will be necessary to clean drains, moreso in unspecified locations, and the length of time involved that would qualify as permanent employment – moreso in the expanding ‘oil economy.’

Why does the VP castigate ‘poor people’ as being unintelligent and unambitious? Why is it implied that their educated children would not know better to advise their parents to rise above the level of drainage, particularly in environments which must include better housing, school, health and social facilities? Why would they not all want to be sportsmen and women who would choose not to swim, but earn employment that allows them to grow in a pool of commitment, trust, honesty, compassion and the ability to make choices of their leadership and maintain their self-respect?

Incidentally, what became of the GOAL scholarship winners?

E.B. John

Retired Human Resources Director

Booker Sugar Estates

GuySuCo

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Bharrat Jagdeo, Booker Sugar Estates, responding, Retired Human Resources Director, Vice President

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