Dear Editor,
The Guyana Teachers’ Union biennial election of 2014 has now reached a pivotal position. It is at a place where 95% of all the regions’ ballots have been sent.
It is my personal view that the union is in need of a new body of leaders with vision that will advance the cause of teachers. The union needs people who are selfless and can relate to the dilemmas and day-to-day issues of members; a group of people whose focus is not on serving their personal interests but rather the interests of the teachers they were elected to serve. The GTU modus operandi for far too long has been one of a sedentary nature.
It is my belief that the Guyana Teachers’ Union has the capacity to become the most powerful union in Guyana.
All its members are educators and that in itself speaks volumes. The problem however is the inability of the leadership to harness this advantage. The poor leadership abilities of the incumbents and their inability to motivate, empower and inspire the members are self evident according to the view now held by most of the members, given that the union cannot get more than a 5% increase in salaries for them.
The recent notice in the Stabroek News revealed the reality of GTU election and the possibilities it contains.
But the intention of some of the very people who have the union in this unsatisfactory state is again to aspire to be its leaders.
This revelation has compelled me to pen these words to express my disappointment in these individuals once more. They have failed our membership and the union as a whole; the evidence is there every time we go to the bank at the end of the month.
It is evident during teachers’ week, at the May Day rally and other teacher-related activities too numerous to mention.
As a teacher of this noble profession and a member of the GTU, it would be remiss of me if I failed to ask all our fellow teachers who are members of the union to vote those individuals out and give the other candidates a chance to bring about the well-deserved change we seek.
It will be very unfortunate for us and our union if we as educators betray our intelligence and vote for those recycled and visionless officials again.
This election provides all conscious-minded, liberal and change-oriented teachers who want betterment for themselves and this noble vocation to vote for change and improvement.
To all teachers and members of the GTU, let us all contribute to the change we seek. Let us all vote and post our ballots ourselves to ensure our vote is part of the much deserved change that has been absent for too long.
Let us not give our ballots to the foot soldiers in camouflage offering to take your ballot for change to the post office; do it yourself, teachers.
Yours faithfully,
Jermaine Figueira
Chairman
Upper Demerara Branch
GTU
