Severed sugar workers’ grant: “We have no apologies; wronged sugar workers must be compensated”– Nandlall to Opposition

…as Harmon campaigns to block cash grant

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, S.C., has unapologetically defended the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C’s) announcement of a one-off payout of $250,000 to each sugar worker who was fired following the downsizing of the sugar industry, saying that his Government is trying to correct a wrong done to those workers and their families by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime.

This was in response to statements made by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon recently. During his campaign launch as a candidate for the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party last week, Harmon accused the Government of spending billions of dollars to pamper sugar workers in order to secure their support, while discriminating against public servants. He promised to “put a stop” to such activities if he is elected leader of the PNCR, since he claimed to have what it takes to get the party back into power under the Coalition umbrella.
But during this week’s edition of his programme Issues In The News, Nandlall took the Opposition Leader to task over his comments.
The Attorney General contended that the $250,000 cash grant is nothing compared to the inhumane way the more than seven thousand sugar workers were treated when they were placed on the breadline by the APNU/AFC Coalition, which downsized the sugar industry by closing four estates – Wales, Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore.

“Any grouping of Guyanese treated this way (is) entitled to compensation, and we in this Government have no apologies; whether they are our supporters or not, it does not matter. They are Guyanese. They suffered a wrong, [and if] their Government can correct that wrong and rectify it in some small way, their Government has a duty to do so, and we have executed and discharged that duty,” the Minister contended.
According to Nandlall, these workers were not only arbitrarily dismissed, but were let go off without the payment of any severance. He reminded that court actions had to be filed in order for those retrenched workers to receive these payments that they were entitled to.
“Seven thousand [sugar workers], and you had about 30,000 Guyanese put immediately on the breadline by an uncaring Government. Those people were basically living on charity. They were living on donations. They were living on handouts. They punished. Some people were starving, children could not go to school, they were crying. Big men committed suicide because they could not have provided for their families. Men turned to alcoholism, some of them smoked drugs,” Nandlall outlined, pointing out that he witnessed these situations firsthand, having been on the ground during that time.

The Minister went on to remind that since 2017, immediately following the estates’ closures, the PPP/C, while in Opposition, had promised to financially compensate those affected sugar workers if the party gets into office. In fact, he noted that this was a promise made on the 2020 campaign trail, and was included in the party’s Election Manifesto, which got it elected into office.
“We put that as a manifesto promise to the people of Guyana and they voted as an endorsement of that. We have a duty to deliver on that manifesto promise, and we have no apologies, none at all!” the AG stressed.
Nandlall further called out Harmon for his stance against sugar workers. The Minister outlined that the PPP/C Government has compensated frontline health workers, public servants, school children, pensioners, and even farmers; hence there should be no issues with the same benefits being extended to sugar workers.
“All Guyanese qualified, benefited from those grants. What is so wrong with the sugar workers receiving assistance from this Government? The truth be told, Harmon and PNC used [AFC’s Moses] Nagamootoo and [Leader Khemraj] Ramjattan to go into these communities and fool the sugar workers; told the sugar workers that they will get 20 and 25 per cent increase… [and told] the workers that they will not close the sugar factories, that there will not be a loss of jobs…then fooled the people,” the Minister posited.
Meanwhile, AG Nandlall also used the opportunity to respond to another Opposition Member who is also contending for the PNCR leadership, Aubrey Norton, who claims that the PPP/C Government is discriminating against communities perceived as Opposition strongholds during the distribution of these cash grants.
According to the Minister, political affiliation is not a consideration factor to determine the qualification for the various cash grant initiatives. He noted that persons from varying backgrounds have benefited from these grants countrywide, and will continue to benefit in the future.
In the same breath, however, Nandlall explained that the Coalition will continue to use the political and race cards for selfish purposes.
“Apparently, only when Indo-Guyanese receive something then Harmon and Norton see that. And according to them, and based upon everything they are saying, apparently Indo-Guyanese ought not to benefit and should not benefit from anything…But I’m saying all Guyanese should benefit. But they are saying once, Indo-Guyanese gets something, it’s a PPP supporter and is a PPP campaign, and is a PPP distribution of assistance to its constituency. These people are sick…but we can’t bother with this kind of mentality,” Minister Nandlall posited.
The allocation earlier this month of the cash grants – pegged at $1.8 billon – was deemed a welcome initiative by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), which says that such support is essential in correcting the indignation faced by sugar workers. (G8)