Cheap publicity, shameless” – Chand responds to Nagamootoo
By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand is not taking too lightly recent criticisms meted out to him and GAWU by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, noting that the Prime Minister pulled off a “cheap publicity stunt.”
At the Enmore Martyrs Day event on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nagamootoo vehemently criticized GAWU over the stance it has taken on many issues over the years.
He recalled that in 2011 when the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government threatened to dissolve the unions in Guyana, he was the only person to stand up in defence of the unions in the presence of the GAWU President, whom he said did nothing to oppose the move by the PPP.
However, during an interview with iNews, GAWU’s President detailed that the Prime Minister’s accounts of the events surrounding the issue are not exactly factual.
“I am not surprised…just to gain cheap publicity…we will always stand up on issues that we feel strong about and issues that have far reaching effects on our workers,” Chand told iNews.
According to the GAWU head, the meeting that Nagamootoo made reference to was held at the same that the GAWU had an emergency council meeting; hence he was unable to attend the forum.
“To try to diminish GAWU at this point in time, they are not on good ground,” said Chand adding that Nagamootoo’s remarks were “shameless.”
When asked about his absence from the Enmore Martyrs commemoration service, Chand responded that “Our union decided that Aslim Singh will go…it is our democratic right to decide who will go…it is fitting that GAWU goes.”