Dear Editor,
I must say that I’m extremely happy to see the international community recognizing Guyana being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. However, whilst that’s welcoming news, we must pause to see who’s going to be benefiting and how we are developing. No doubt, with the discoveries of oil and the magnitude we have here, everyone’s attention and interest will be drawn here. And the way things are going presently, it seems that foreigners will be inheriting the majority of our wealth as most are investing here, leaving crumbs for Guyanese. Incredibly, amidst all this praise, the majority of Guyanese continue to beg for economic relief, and most living conditions and various advantages are continuously being taken against the average working class.
Editor, during the pandemic, many businesses were forced to downsize and as a result, staff workload was increased along with their working hours. Added to that, because the place practically stood still, many cite that as a reason and drastically cut staff salaries. As conditions return to normalcy, some unscrupulous management continue to take advantage and many workers’ conditions remained the same. This is not only hurtful and embarrassing, but it also paves the way for foreign investors to also take advantage of the Guyanese. It’s already happening, but for fear of victimization, they stay quiet. Visit any Chinese store and find out from workers what’s happening to them and their working hours. They don’t get paid overtime or double, but are required to work every day. I’ve known of places where great advantages are being taken against workers, I see the Ministry of Labour visiting workers, making a big scene in the media, but working conditions remain the same. Their PR stunt works for them as being effective whilst the people continue to suffer. So on what basis have they made their assessment?
Finally Editor, also during the pandemic, schools were closed and many children were left without any opportunity to continue their education. Few parents could have chosen the expensive method of further education with the use of technology. Recognizing how vital it is for children, the government failed to properly address this issue. We have the telephone company with the monopoly in Guyana that failed miserably to render any assistance. They continue to selectively provide certain areas, and continue to provide miserable service to some. Traversing around Guyana, even though GTT is in Guyana, their service is not available in many areas, whilst Digicel did set up services in many. Because of the lack of technology, many children were affected. When I saw recently that GTT was upgrading landline services in Bartica, I started laughing. Everyone uses cellphones and apps on the cellphones to call worldwide, which is free. Is that development? It’s safe to please the international community because their citizens stand to benefit greatly, whilst your own is still meandering like stone-age people.
Sincerely,
Sahadeo Bates