GTUC confident Ramotar will depart from Jagdeo’s autocratic rule
- says President must outline new direction for Guyana
February 10, 2012 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur News
GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis
On the eve of President Donald Ramotar’s ceremonial opening of the 10th Parliament General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis has laid out his demands on behalf of his constituency.
Lewis is confident that the new President will, unlike his predecessor Bharrat Jagdeo, listen to the demands of the union body.
At a specially arranged press conference at the Critchlow Labour College, the GTUC General Secretary said that despite the rhetoric being spewed by the President as it relates to continuing along the Jagdeo line, “he (Donald Ramotar) will part ways from the autocratic rule of Jagdeo and seek to carve out a legacy of his own.”
According to Lewis, it is important for Ramotar to be cognizant of the fact that the opening of the 10th Parliament comes at a time of the conclusion of a period during which the former President had ascribed to himself a high level of autocracy and during which “we saw the miniaturisation of every state entity and the denuding of their rights and responsibility in executing the respective mandate to the nation’s citizens.”
Lewis pointed out too that this practice by Jagdeo has crept even into non-governmental organisations and has thrown up ‘little Caesars’ that ascribe to themselves the authority to miniaturize managers at various levels of management.
“This dictatorial act has contributed to the level of decay in society that has seen our Constitution and Laws violated and citizens and workers’ rights transgressed with impunity…This is the state of affairs President Ramotar has inherited and he must immediately seek to depart from it if he is to create a just society during his tenure in office,” Lewis asserted.
He pointed out, too, that the Constitution is designed to forge a system of governance that promotes concerted effort and broad-based participation in national decision-making in order to develop a viable economy and a harmonious community.
This, he said, should be based on democratic values, social justice, fundamental human rights and the rule of law even as efforts are made to “celebrate our cultural and racial diversity and strengthen our unity by eliminating any and every form of discrimination…in our collective quest for a perfect nation.”
According to Lewis, it is Labour’s fervent view that first and foremost, the President needs to deal with an array of issues in his address to point the nation in another direction. These, Lewis said, include the right to freedom of association for every citizen to be affiliated to a political party or any civic grouping of choice, as they simultaneously enjoy the protection from being discriminated against by the government for exercising such choice.
Confident that the GTUC was partially responsible for the swing of votes thus resulting in the current dispensation of Parliament, Lewis noted that should President Ramotar fail to address the critical issues that face Guyana, then it will have to lobby the support of the Opposition which holds a combined Majority in the National Assembly.
“For workers, it means selecting a union of their choice without the interference of management and government, the return to respect for trade unionism, and collective bargaining in the Public Sector. These are sacred rights that were embraced by the labour movement, the PPP, Guyana Government and employers when this country ratified ILO Conventions 98 and 87 in the year 1966.”
He further charged that, “we cannot as a people continue to tolerate the violations of our Constitution and laws as we have seen over the past years, where parliamentarians, government officials and the protected are being given immunity to violate the laws while the masses are expected to honour those laws…We cannot have one law for the privileged and another law for the masses.”
He asserted too that it is universally accepted that, where there are rules , these must be for everyone, and providing that President Ramotar is prepared to embrace this principle, Guyanese can look forward to living in a better society where all are treated equally. Lewis told media operatives that he will pay keen attention to the President’s presentation, outlining that “as we address the security of this nation, the issue of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and pension, which are the only safety net the citizens’ benefit from, must be addressed.”
It is expected, he said, that “the President will point us into a direction by providing leadership in improving the performance of NIS, while sustaining reasonable and appropriate pension.”
He said too, that the GTUC has recognised the constant heralding of the appointment of some Commissions that leaders in society have repeatedly demanded of the government and parliament.
He expressed the hope that all of the Rights Commissions will be put in place and the appropriate Secretariat and Legislations established to meet the needs of the various Commissions (Child, Human Rights, Women and Gender Equality, Indigenous and Public Procurement) if the President, during his tenure, truly intends to address the rights of citizens.
“These Commissions set out the provisions for the promotion and enhancement of our Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law and we expect to hear the President paying particular attention to making them effective,” Lewis said.
He added that while the President has been given executive responsibility, “we do expect that he will also address the issue of accountability within the executive and the independence of the executive vis-a-vis the legislature and judicial branches, with a view to allowing the other branches of government to perform their duties…in ensuring that the rights of our people are upheld and the resources of the nation are managed in the interest of the people.”
- says President must outline new direction for Guyana
February 10, 2012 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur News
GTUC General Secretary Lincoln LewisOn the eve of President Donald Ramotar’s ceremonial opening of the 10th Parliament General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis has laid out his demands on behalf of his constituency.
Lewis is confident that the new President will, unlike his predecessor Bharrat Jagdeo, listen to the demands of the union body.
At a specially arranged press conference at the Critchlow Labour College, the GTUC General Secretary said that despite the rhetoric being spewed by the President as it relates to continuing along the Jagdeo line, “he (Donald Ramotar) will part ways from the autocratic rule of Jagdeo and seek to carve out a legacy of his own.”
According to Lewis, it is important for Ramotar to be cognizant of the fact that the opening of the 10th Parliament comes at a time of the conclusion of a period during which the former President had ascribed to himself a high level of autocracy and during which “we saw the miniaturisation of every state entity and the denuding of their rights and responsibility in executing the respective mandate to the nation’s citizens.”
Lewis pointed out too that this practice by Jagdeo has crept even into non-governmental organisations and has thrown up ‘little Caesars’ that ascribe to themselves the authority to miniaturize managers at various levels of management.
“This dictatorial act has contributed to the level of decay in society that has seen our Constitution and Laws violated and citizens and workers’ rights transgressed with impunity…This is the state of affairs President Ramotar has inherited and he must immediately seek to depart from it if he is to create a just society during his tenure in office,” Lewis asserted.
He pointed out, too, that the Constitution is designed to forge a system of governance that promotes concerted effort and broad-based participation in national decision-making in order to develop a viable economy and a harmonious community.
This, he said, should be based on democratic values, social justice, fundamental human rights and the rule of law even as efforts are made to “celebrate our cultural and racial diversity and strengthen our unity by eliminating any and every form of discrimination…in our collective quest for a perfect nation.”
According to Lewis, it is Labour’s fervent view that first and foremost, the President needs to deal with an array of issues in his address to point the nation in another direction. These, Lewis said, include the right to freedom of association for every citizen to be affiliated to a political party or any civic grouping of choice, as they simultaneously enjoy the protection from being discriminated against by the government for exercising such choice.
Confident that the GTUC was partially responsible for the swing of votes thus resulting in the current dispensation of Parliament, Lewis noted that should President Ramotar fail to address the critical issues that face Guyana, then it will have to lobby the support of the Opposition which holds a combined Majority in the National Assembly.
“For workers, it means selecting a union of their choice without the interference of management and government, the return to respect for trade unionism, and collective bargaining in the Public Sector. These are sacred rights that were embraced by the labour movement, the PPP, Guyana Government and employers when this country ratified ILO Conventions 98 and 87 in the year 1966.”
He further charged that, “we cannot as a people continue to tolerate the violations of our Constitution and laws as we have seen over the past years, where parliamentarians, government officials and the protected are being given immunity to violate the laws while the masses are expected to honour those laws…We cannot have one law for the privileged and another law for the masses.”
He asserted too that it is universally accepted that, where there are rules , these must be for everyone, and providing that President Ramotar is prepared to embrace this principle, Guyanese can look forward to living in a better society where all are treated equally. Lewis told media operatives that he will pay keen attention to the President’s presentation, outlining that “as we address the security of this nation, the issue of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and pension, which are the only safety net the citizens’ benefit from, must be addressed.”
It is expected, he said, that “the President will point us into a direction by providing leadership in improving the performance of NIS, while sustaining reasonable and appropriate pension.”
He said too, that the GTUC has recognised the constant heralding of the appointment of some Commissions that leaders in society have repeatedly demanded of the government and parliament.
He expressed the hope that all of the Rights Commissions will be put in place and the appropriate Secretariat and Legislations established to meet the needs of the various Commissions (Child, Human Rights, Women and Gender Equality, Indigenous and Public Procurement) if the President, during his tenure, truly intends to address the rights of citizens.
“These Commissions set out the provisions for the promotion and enhancement of our Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law and we expect to hear the President paying particular attention to making them effective,” Lewis said.
He added that while the President has been given executive responsibility, “we do expect that he will also address the issue of accountability within the executive and the independence of the executive vis-a-vis the legislature and judicial branches, with a view to allowing the other branches of government to perform their duties…in ensuring that the rights of our people are upheld and the resources of the nation are managed in the interest of the people.”