The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) yesterday issued a statement welcoming the remarks made by President David Granger that the Coalition Government sees “adherence to the Constitution…an essential element of democratic governance and the maintenance of public trust.”
The union considers the president’s statement yesterday, which prefaced government’s stated respect for Article 155 (1) (a) that bars dual citizens from being elected to the National Assembly and upheld by the High and Appeal Courts, a step in the right direction. It is encouraged the Coalition has placed on record that it “is committed to upholding the Constitution unreservedly” and therefore expects full compliance as this is critical to good governance, social cohesion and national peace.
The GTUC has noted the appointment of the new Minister of the Public Service in the Ministry of the Presidency, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and wished her well in her new portfolio. It holds the expectation that apart from bringing “youth, newness and fresh ideas”, she also brings association of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), and trust that this will be represented in a “working-class focus.”
The statement goes on to say that the minister has the “opportunity to create a harmonious working climate which is essential in this sector which turns the wheel of government.” As the WPA’s representative, of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in the Coalition Government, she “can best uphold the party and the working-class ideology of co-leader Dr. Walter Rodney.”
With the developmental trust of oil and gas and a green economy, government needs a stable industrial environment since the representative of the public sector workers, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), has been marginalised under successive PPP governments since 1999 and this “state of industrial unease” is yet to be corrected under the Coalition. As such, the young newcomer is being called upon to place industrial harmony high on her agenda given the significance of this to government performance.
In anticipation of the convening of the National Assembly today, the GTUC called on the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to return to the House. It holds the view that the party can best represent and fight for its constituency in a “climate conducive to good governance and lifting Guyana’s politics up to a level of civility” while adding, “It is important for Guyana to function in a state of normalcy as we await the judicial ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice.”
The GTUC made a plea for Parliament to be given the respect it deserves and reminded that all Members of Parliament have been in receipt of taxpayers’ money as salary and other associated benefits. Therefore the “honourable thing to do” would be to return to the House, the nation’s highest decision-making forum, where “they can best represent the people.”
