…Unions?
Keith Scott, leader of the National Front Alliance (NFA) – one of the five(?) parties in the APNU coalition – is a man of substance. The PNC, consistently clocking up 42 per cent of the votes in the country (when they bothered to count with observers!) – wouldn’t team up with any one-man show, would they? Anyhow, as a full-fledged coalition partner, he’s a Minister whose talent has been recognised as a “go-to” guy.
In the one and only Cabinet “shakeup” of the David Granger presidency, when Simona “I is” Broomes ruffled some business feathers as the Minister within the Ministry of Social protection with responsibility for Labour, guess who Prezzie turned to? Of course! Keith Scott! He’s the man!! And he became the man for the labour portfolio. Which is not to be confused as being “for labour” as the Trade Union movement seems to believe. Au contraire!
Recently in Parliament, when they were going through the final motions (literally and figuratively!) on the Budget, (did ANYONE think ANYTHING was going to be changed?) Keith Scott set the union leaders straight. Queried as to why the Co-Op Union body received more funding than the “big ones” in the TUC and FITUG – Scott gave it to them straight from the shoulder. They were “impotent!!”
Now by your Eyewitness’ dictionary, being “impotent” just means a person is unable or incapable of performing one of his functions. Now could the labour movement in Guyana look at anyone in the eye and say they’ve been representing workers the way they were supposed to? Hey! The trade unions are supposed to be FIGHTING for workers’ rights. Nothing has been achieved for the poor and the powerless without a struggle, has it? Do these Trade Unionists remember it was in the West Indies – including Guyana – that (in the language of Marx) the “contradictions of labour” reached its most explosive and exploitative point in slavery and indentureship? Schuups!
Anyhow, they obviously interpreted the word in the area it’s quite commonly used – ability to perform sexually – and threw a real hissy fit! But then, these are Caribbean men – and they’re all men – how dare Scott tell them they’re incapable of being studs any longer!! They demanded an “apology” from Scott. They didn’t threaten “or else”…since that would mean they’d have to be marching in front of Scott’s office in the monsoon rains that’s arrived!
However, Scott just got the last laugh: He apologised but said his accusation was a “Freudian slip”. The Trade Unionists big wigs accepted the “apology” and said they were “vindicated”.
What they didn’t realise is this: a “Freudian slip” is when your “inadvertent” words reveal your real thoughts!! Impotent!!!
…on Wales
There could be no greater demonstration of “impotence” than when an entire sugar plantation’s being shut down. Removing the direct employment of 1700 persons as well as putting the entire West Bank community of 60,000 persons without their major source of funds? And the thing is, the trade unions have evidently bought the ridiculous tales the Government peddles -meant to “soften” the body blows. Why else they wouldn’t be taking radical action? Have they forgotten the examples of Cuffy and the Indentured strikers?
What’s this about “only” the factory being closed? Wales has the most successful experiment to move cane farming into private hands. If these canes will be processed at Uitvlugt from the next crop, where’s the road to move those canes – as was promised? Where and with what are they going to mill the paddy they say they’re diversifying the sugar lands into?
Are they really so ignorant of agriculture they think cane cutters can suddenly become rice farmers? Impotent wankers!!
…of business nous
The economy’s barely limping along. The Finance Minister refused to give it a stimulus. Now up comes Ramjattan and declares TWO Tuesdays as holidays!
It’s a cruel, impotent gesture. He fools workers about “days off” but kicks the economy that’s already down and out.
