Dear Editor,
Neither Bharrat Jagdeo nor the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) fought for debt write off from the Paris Club or Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). The fight for debt write off was a crusade carried out by the trade union movement and civil society across the world. These bodies participated at various international events such as the People’s Forum which was held in Japan, Venezuela and Brazil. This forum drew participation from Asia, Europe and non-governmental organizations across the world.
Yours truly was part of the International Trades Union Confederation that participated in the Paris Club meetings. Let me make this very clear: governments do not go to the Paris Club to negotiate debt write off. The country’s papers are sent to the Paris Club. The Club will do its review then meet with the country’s representative(s). At that meeting the country is informed of the sum the Club will write off and any other benefits.
On the debt write off with T&T, that country took a position to support Guyana as a sister CARICOM nation. It was the view of the T&T Government that notwithstanding Guyana’s challenges to pay for the procurement of oil, the country would be provided the resource given its importance to turning the wheels of production, alleviating economic hardship, and helping the Guyanese people stay at home and develop their country.
Supporting Guyana took into consideration outward migration that could have placed undue pressure on other countries’ social structures such as education, health, housing, transportation.
The sense of CARICOM camaraderie that operated back then, unfortunately today replaced by self-serving interest, influenced debt write off initiatives by T&T Prime Minister Dr. Eric Williams and later Prime Minister Basdeo Panday. Panday came from the bowels of the trade union and saw the necessity of writing off debts that were incurred through the influence of a social cause. Statements oft repeated by Jagdeo that he and the PPP negotiated debt write off inherited from the People’s National Congress administration is untrue.
On the issue of establishing a system of government where every Guyanese can feel he or she is an equal participating member and beneficiary, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) played a pivotal role to move the nation towards inclusive government. The GTUC, mindful of the calls by many sections of society, including the PPP, presented a Paper to the Constituent Assembly in 1979 to change the government structure. GTUC proposed the party with the highest votes holds the presidency and the prime minister goes to the party with the second highest votes.
Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Honorary President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and Opposition Leader constantly referred to the GTUC’s proposal as the necessary political solution for the parties to work together and build Guyana. Guyana got a new constitution in 1980 but Jagan still championed GTUC’s 1979 proposal. When Jagan ascended to the presidency in October1992, shortly after he said the 1980 Constitution was not the problem but the holder of the office and how he or she manages. In 1999, Guyana went through constitutional reform and revamped the political objective of the society by establishing a political system of “inclusionary democracy” as spelt out in Article 13.
Today, the PPP is stomping on the very principle it clamoured for when in opposition which is now made explicit in the constitution. Back then the party led society to think it was committed to a political solution that would leave now behind or be made to feel excluded. We continue to bear witness to so many other deceptions, the most prominent being the oil contract, and continuous denial of the constitutional right to free education from nursery to university as outlined in Article 27. In opposition, Jagdeo claimed the oil contract is bad and the APNU+AFC coalition government sold the people out to the oil giant. His party in the 2020 Elections campaigned on a promise to have it renegotiated.
Today, not only is the contract not re-negotiated, but the Guyanese people are being denied equitable participation and benefit of the oil money. Students continue to be saddled with huge loans and in some cases caveats to receive free education when the constitution never stipulated it and the country can more than afford providing free education for its children. We must stop accepting lies for truth from the Jagdeo/Ali regime, trampling of rights and freedoms, and exclusion from governance, management and benefit of the national patrimony.
Sincerely,
Lincoln Lewis