Dear Editor,
Full credit must go to the teachers and their union for finally standing up to this oppressive Granger regime. At one time, I was concerned that they would have succumbed to the historical attitude of subservience as practised by former GTU leaders. But this new crop of GTU leaders like Mr. Mark Lyte has proved me wrong because all I am seeing is a deep interest in advancing the teachers’ welfare and not politics. For such an effort they deserve our full support.
What I am hearing from Mr. Lyte is most refreshing because he has made it clear that “he does not want confrontation, he wants collaboration and partnership with the Government”, he “does not want to clash with the Government, he wants cash for his teachers”. These are profound statements in support of the teachers, most of whom are working for starvation wages.
So to now hear President Granger reject the report of his High-level Task Force is most concerning because it exposes an attitude of gross deception and subterfuge on the part of the PNCR leaders. Is this the normal DNA of PNCR where they make a million promises to the people at elections time only to break every one of them and then present a bunch of pathetic excuses for their underperformance?
To now hear President Granger express that the report is deficient exposes how disingenuous and dishonest this PNCR-led Government really is when it comes to its treatment of the ordinary people. Here we have a report prepared by all these government appointees including the Finance Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Dr. Hector Butts who is best placed to know what is affordable and you reject his opinion because it does not reconcile to your strategy?
I implore Mr. Granger to listen to the words issued by Ms Amna Ally former opposition spokesperson on education, who said in 2009 in defence of an education issue then, “let us bring this issue to an end and reassure the professionals in the system that there is still space for them to act as guardians of the country’s education system”. What was good for the goose when Ms. Ally was in the opposition, is also good for the gander now that she and her PNC colleagues have the power to make right by the education professionals in the system.
In this internet age, Mr. Granger cannot try a Burnham and fool the people. I have looked at the 2018 Budget Estimates and I have found at least 10 areas where funds are stacked for pageantry purposes in subservience to the Executive that can easily be diverted to pay the teacher 15% in Year 1 and 5% in Year 2 and 3 which I know the GTU will accept willingly.
Yours faithfully,
Sasenarine Singh
