GINA staff dismayed over opposition’s move to cut their jobs
Georgetown, GINA, April 26, 2012
The drastic move by the combined opposition political parties in the parliament to slash the budgetary allocations for the state media entities stirred a disappointing reaction from staff of the Government Information Agency (GINA) who fear the worse for their families’ lives and their future. These were some of the reactions:
Roopnarine Sammi – IT Officer
Among the thousands of youths unemployed in Guyana right now I am one of them because I have no job… I think what the opposition is trying to do is hurt the government but they are also hurting innocent people and people who are earning a daily living. It’s unfair .
Kavita Ganpat – Secretary
I can remember Mr. Granger saying that he will create job opportunities for young people but right now he is not doing that so I don’t know what I am going to do.
Latchman Khamraj – IT Officer
These are the people that promised us that they are going to create jobs now they are taking it all away.
Preya Persaud - Advertising Officer
It’s very heart breaking to know that we are jobless. People’s lives are depending on the decision that the opposition made. We have families, we have children to send to school. What are we going to tell them? These are the people that told us ‘come vote for us we will create jobs for you’.
Anil Seelall – Cameraman
Coming from a single parent home it will be really hard to go home and tell my mom that I will not be able to maintain her and my other brothers, taking into consideration that this is my first job since I was trained at the Kuru Kuru training centre. What will I go and tell her?
Rupert Singh – Research Officer
It is amazing to know that we have come this far. I thought that the budget was going fairly well, I saw APNU working with the government, trying to accomplish what the Government has set out to do which is to continue its developmental programmes and then I got a shock later that day that they were going to slash and cut GINA and NCN. Somebody is not thinking clearly.
Vishwanauth Babulall – Cameraman/Video editor
As employees of the Government Information Agency we are mandated to cover the government and all of their activities… I am a video editor for the Government Information Agency and it breaks your heart to know that you will be jobless.
Kawise Wishart – Cameraman/Video editor
The opposition speaks of the new dispensation. If this is the new dispensation for the youths of Guyana who are employed by Government agencies, this is not the new dispensation for the youths of Guyana. This going to lead us into days where it will be dark for us and our families… I’m a father; my daughter depends on me for everything… is this creating jobs Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan?
Fabian Clowes – Communications Officer
I think whatever political arguments you put forward about what transpired in the parliament, the inevitable truth about the matter is that people are out of jobs. There is a staff complement of about 38 in the Government Information Agency, relatively young promising individuals who are now on the unemployment line.
Shanta Gobardhan – Editor in Chief
This act by the opposition is an assault on freedom of expression and this goes against democratic norms. In every country there is an information agency that primarily disseminates information about the workings, the policies and programmes of the government. Voting against the Government Information Agency is not only putting 38 people out of work but it’s also trying to muzzle what the government is doing
Christine Ali – Accounts Clerk
This is not fair. Here you have people in the opposition saying that they want to create jobs for youths out there and they are the same persons who make decisions to put staff out of work. The people that work here have mortgages, they have loans, some of them are now starting a family. What are they supposed to do? What am I suppose to do? We don’t know after today or tomorrow what’s going to happen.
Natalie Brhamdeow - Accountant
The cut of the subvention for GINA will cause a lot of staff to lose their jobs. GINA is 100 percent funded. People have mortgages, they have bills to pay so staff will lose their jobs.
Steve Narine – Research Officer
The opposition knows fairly well that no government can do without an Information Agency. I’ve been associated with this agency during the period of Dr. Jagan, Mr Burnham, Hoyte and I think one of the things that the opposition has failed to think about is what will happen to the workers who earn a living. I trust that better sense will prevail and that they will think not only about the political side of it.
Ramesh Sukhdeo –Research Officer
This is indeed a sad moment for me, I’ve been working here for the past five years and it’s something I enjoyed doing. It was my choice and not that has been taken away from me by AFC and APNU. It is indeed a ruthless decision and I hope everybody comes out against this move. It is not right.
Ursulla Ramdayal, Communications Officer
I am the sole bread winner for my family. I have three persons at home depending on me.
Vindiya Tumeshwar, Communications Officer
They stood on their campaign platform and fight for job creation and this is the same two party that send home workers. Someone asked Khemraj Ramjattan the question these are normal people who you sending home and he turned and said well if some got to go they got to go.
Reshma Tahal, Communications Officer
I really don’t think it’s fair. We have normal features like other media people; we have normal hands, normal legs and normal families.
Macalia Santos, Communications Officer
I think that that we expected something from them but to this extent is very shocking I mean I feel that this is just spiteful on their part because they have to know that it would have affected persons.
Erica Haag- Tularam, Research Officer
This move is not hurting the government but it’s hurting we the workers, the contract workers because the majority of us have families and babies. Now, who is going to feed our babies? If you are saying you have the workers at heart how can you say that and are sending people home now. $1 to GINA who is going to pay who? How are we going to get paid at the end of the month?
Kapil Dev Singh, Information Technology Officer
I feel it’s really disappointing. What are we going to do with our lives now? What they want us to do now thief, borrow, beg, drink rum and smoke?
SyniekaThorne, Communications Officer
I feel very disappointed because I mean how can you talk about creating more jobs yet you’re cutting. Who will put the food on our table? We have bills to pay… we have not been paid for the month as yet where we will we get money from? Who will pay us?
Tekia Higgins, Communications Officer
I think it’s very unfair – what was done because now most of us here are young people, what are we supposed to go and do now?
Baby Farida Khan
Mr. Granger said he will provide work for us and now look what he is doing to us. I have a child to look after and I have bills to pay.
Shaundell
I would like to say thanks to Mr. Ramjattan for putting me on the bread line. I have three kids, I have a house loan to pay, I have a lot of bills on my head. I would just like to say thank you very much.
Leroy
This budget cut will affect me and my family and I just get a young one month and two days old child and I don’t know how she is going to survive now without a job… I don’t know what will happen now.
Leslyn
I cannot express how I feel at this moment but I am profoundly disappointed, why? Because these are the politicians that encourage young people like my colleagues to vote for them, they will create jobs, they have the youths and heart and this is what happens. What do you call to this? I call it betrayal. What happen to people like me – I have a child, I have a mortgage, I have a car loan to pay I have every expense as every wife does or any family does so what happens to me now? Could Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan answer that question please? Could they explain to my three year old why he wouldn’t have milk some days?
Delon
Jobs are being taken away from people… it is jobs that provide people’s daily meals. While I was shocked by the decision that was taken in the parliament I know I am not the only one.
