Accustomed to a friendly May Day audience, President Donald Ramotar was frequently heckled at yesterday’s rally at the National Park as he laid out a case for why his party should be re-elected on May 11th, citing improved benefits over the years and pledging further wage increases.

“Too late” was often the refrain when Ramotar made his pitch at the rally of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), whose main constituent is the PPP-aligned sugar union, the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers’ Union (GAWU).

(From left to right) PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, PPP/C Prime Ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, President Donald Ramotar, FITUG’s President Carvil Duncan and GAWU’s President Komal Chand at FITUG’s Labour Day rally, held at the National Park yesterday. (Arian Browne photo)

The speakers were put on notice soon after the National Anthem was played on the arrival of President Ramotar, when, in what could be described as a well-choreographed moment, the roaring voice of a man shouted, “Moses and David forever!”—a reference to the opposition alliance’s top candidates, David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo. This saw the crowd erupting into a frenzy as persons cheered and added comments of their own.

Earlier, the workers walked with those from other unions through Georgetown until the now customary separation on Albert Street, where those supporting FITUG marched to the park and those under the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) stopped off at the Critchlow Labour College.

At the park, the speeches were interrupted at regular intervals by dissenting voices. Surprisingly, those wearing jerseys of GAWU were the most vocal in their objections, shouting “No!” and “Too Late!” as the various speakers spoke.

GAWU President Komal Chand was spared, perhaps because a significant part of his speech focused on international events. He did say at the end that the union is confident that the $5B promised to be injected into the ailing industry on a yearly basis for four years by President Ramotar, should the PPP/C be returned to office, would turn sugar around. He said that an effective management team would be pivotal to returning the industry to a state of profitability.

“We are confident that the industry can become viable. We would do our parts and urge stakeholders to do theirs to realise the industry’s viability…,” he said.

Even as Chand spoke about the opposition stymieing progress in Guyana, he got no reaction from the workers, all of whom by then were caught up in their own conversations and activities.

“We need to return our country on the development and modernisation path. We need to return to the continuation of the pro-working people’s policies from the elected government,” he said to some claps, mostly from those sitting at the head table.

Some of the workers who were at the FITUG Labour Day rally, held at the National Park yesterday. (Arian Browne photo)

‘We can’t go there’

FITUG’s President Carvil Duncan bore the brunt of the mostly female workers’ objections. They seemed particularly incensed at the mention of the Marriott Hotel as a sign of progress in Guyana and its employment of over 200 persons. “And we can’t go there!” a few shouted while the others were so noisy in their objections that it was difficult to decipher what they were saying. Duncan’s admission that the country has unemployment but then asking which country does not have jobless persons was also not welcomed as many of the workers objected loudly.

The government has come under intense criticism for pumping taxpayers’ money into the building of the hotel.

Duncan, of the Guyana Labour Union, told the noisy workers that the election is not about them but about their children and grandchildren and whatever decision they make on May 11th would have an impact on their lives.

“Consider how you mark your x and at the same time don’t listen to gossip, think for yourself,” Duncan told the workers, who erupted.

He told them even, as the noise continued, that the future is in their hands, “You know what you got, it is said a bird in the hand is worth a thousand in the bush, make your choice right. Make a good choice, make your choice for the future…,” he said as the workers screamed.

‘Working class’

President Ramotar’s announcement that the PPP/C government has always been a working class government was greeted with loud heckling but he pressed on, stating that his party has worked to improve the lives of the working people of Guyana.

“We have brought more legislation that has served to strengthen workers’ rights and offer greater protection to our working people,” the president said, adding that the ruling party has signed more International Labour Organisation conventions than any other Caribbean country, all aimed at improving the lives of workers.

Ramotar also spoke about the government’s raising of the tax threshold over the years, which he said allowed citizens to have more disposable income “to spend as you wish to do so.” He promised that as long as the country’s economy continues to expand, “I can promise you that we will increase the minimum wage.”

But while a few clapped and cheered at this announcement, many others objected, with most saying “Too late, too late.” And as he spoke about workers having more money in their pockets, some asked “Wha money?” repeatedly.

Him saying that the PPP/C government might be the only one in the world that provides free text books to children was greeted with laughter by the workers and some were heard asking where were the books. It was the same reaction when he spoke about the yearly uniform allowance given to children and the one-time $10,000 voucher given to each child in the public schools last year.

Parents have complained repeatedly that there is an acute shortage of text books in schools and many are forced to put their hands into their pockets to purchase these, while those children whose parents cannot afford the expense are left without.

In what came across as a campaign speech, the president also spoke of the “housing boom,” the increase in the old age pension and he repeated the $13,200 a month pension figure. “Dah is nah nothing,” some said to this figure.

He said his government is prepared to continue to implement services that would improve the lives of working people but it was when he said “if and when we win the election we would build the Amaila Falls project” that the president saw the strongest reaction, with sustained shouts of “No!” and “Too late!”

As Ramotar continued to list all that the PPP/C government has done for the country, some shouted “You lie!” He also spoke of the $20B minimum planned injection into the sugar industry should the PPP/C be returned to power.

“This government has been the government of change, we have changed our country from being a heavily indebted poor country to now being a middle income developing country and we are looking to change it so that very soon Guyana would become a developed country in the world…,” the president said, while charging that the opposition parties had put the country in danger through their budget cuts.

Also present at the rally and seated at the head table were Prime Minister Sam Hinds, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee and the PPP/C’s prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper, none of whom addressed the crowd.