Dear Editor,
The withholding of subventions from the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Critchlow Labour College (CLC) by the government is unjustified. The GTUC and CLC have been the recipients of the yearly grants starting with the Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham’s Government. The reason behind the GTUC subvention was to assist the Union, as a national organization, in managing its affairs in its contribution to nation building. There were no pre-conditions to receiving the monies other than the existence of the Union.
In the instance of the CLC the money was to assist in providing worker education that would lead to employment and improved performance in the workplace. In the early 1970s the practice of CLC receiving money from foreign institutions ceased. Both Mr LFS Burnham and Dr Cheddi Jagan publicly said since CLC is providing for nation building it must be entirely funded by the State.
During the administrations of Messrs LFS Burnham, H. Desmond Hoyte, Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan there were serious differences between the governments and the TUC. These differences never prevented the TUC and CLC from receiving their yearly subventions.
When there was the original FITUG (1988-1993) the GTUC continued to receive its yearly subvention.
The politics being played by Mr Bharrat Jagdeo’s government are very divisive and unprincipled, inflicting wounds on the country we may never recover from. On assuming office President Jagdeo was given much well wishes because of his relative youthfulness and the perception that being fresh, with no historical baggage he should be able to do a better job than his predecessors. His behaviour continues to go contrary to the expectations of the people and has fallen short of his predecessors.
Under the PNC government, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the known union of the PPP, continuously received duty free concessions for motor cycles and cars to carry out their duties in servicing their members. We need not revisit the actions of GAWU during this period that hurt the economy tremendously. Inspite of this the PNC administrations never denied GAWU duty free concessions. GAWU was also in the GTUC and the subvention of the union was never taken away.
The nation knows that Mr. Jagdeo as a young economist, trained in Eastern Europe under a PPP scholarship, on his return to Guyana was given employment in the State Planning Secretariat, at the time considered a premier government institution dealing with delicate matters of the State. Despite Mr. Jagdeo’s known political affiliation, the PNC government did not deny him the right to free education, the right to work and an opportunity to practice his discipline and improve his conditions of living.
The LFS Burnham government removed the barriers to acquiring education. Education became non-denominational, co-educational and free to all from nursery to university. In the government of B. Jagdeo barriers to education are reinstituted. The withdrawal of the CLC subvention means that some students will be denied a second chance to an education and educational advancement which will equip them with the tools to work and improve their conditions of living. Workers education will suffer and the country will suffer as a whole. An educated society translates to a better society.
The issue raised of the revived FITUG has no relevance.
The TUC and CLC subventions are money from the Consolidated Fund. The fund is not Mr. Jagdeo’s money. The fund is the money of the people. And it is the people who should benefit from it.
Prior to Mr. Jadgeo taking away the subventions, the TUC and CLC have been the recipients of this money for many decades. The fact that the money was given over a prolonged period means that it has become custom and practice and an agreement. In both the TUC and CLC cases the Parliament approved via the National Budget the allocations for the institutions. Those giving instructions not to release the subventions are preventing the organizations from contributing to nation building. Those persons are also putting themselves above Parlia-ment, a lawful institution, by misappropriating the funds of the state.
Yours faithfully,
Humphrey Charles