Dear Editor,
Full credit must go to the teachers and their union for finally standing up to this oppressive Granger regime. At one time I was concerned that they would have succumbed to the historical attitude of subservience, as practised by former GTU leaders like the late Jean Persico, who placed their PNC party card above their union membership. But this new crop of GTU leaders, like Mr Mark Lyte, has proved me wrong, because all I am seeing is a deep interest in progressing the teachers’ welfare, and not politics. For such an effort, they deserve our full support.
What I am hearing from Mr Lyte is most refreshing, because he has made it clear that he “does not want confrontation”, he “wants collaboration and partnership with the Government”; he “does not want to clash with the Government”, he “wants cash for his teachers”. These are profound statements in support of the teachers, most of whom are working for starvation wages.
So to now hear President Granger reject the report of his High Level Task Force is most concerning, because it exposes an attitude of gross deception and subterfuge on the part of the PNC leaders. Is this the normal DNA of PNC, where they make a million promises to the people at elections time, only to break every one of them and then present a bunch of pathetic excuses for their underperformance?
Let us juggle Mr Granger’s memory. On November 2, 2017, his Government appointed this Task Force, stacked with mostly PNC sympathisers and appointees to guide the discussion around salaries and non-salaried benefits for teachers. The first meeting of the Task Force was chaired by the Minister of Education, Ms Nicolette Henry, who then give them the charge under the leadership of Mrs Genevieve Whyte-Nedd, retired Deputy Chief Education Officer, to comb the budget and other documents to come up with an affordable package.
The Chairperson of any committee is very important, and Ms Whyte-Nedd is no friend of the PPP. Actually, she fought a well-fought battle with the PPP to be promoted with the full support of the PNC back in 2009. In its official statement, the PNC stated that Ms. Whyte-Nedd is a “highly professional and competent public servant capable of exercising independent judgment…..”
So let us be clear, Ms. Whyte-Nedd has the full support of the PNC.
Other members of the Task Force were: Mr Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education (a PNC appointee); the most senior executive in the Ministry of Education, the Permanent Secretary (a PNC appointee); the Human Resource Manager of the Ministry of Education, Ms Jacqueline Simon; the most senior Legal Officer in the Ministry of Education, Ms Kelly-Ann Hercules; Mr Granger’s personal Political Advisor, Mr Frederick Mc Wilfred (a PNC appointee); the Senior Personnel Officer, Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Public Service, Ms Gail Williams; the most senior executive in the Ministry of Finance, Dr Hector Butts (a PNC appointee); the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communities, Mr Emil Mc Garrell, who is a product of the Ministry of Finance; Mr Mark Lyte, President, GTU; Ms Coretta Mc Donald, General Secretary, GTU; Ms Samantha Alleyne, Treasurer, GTU; and Mr. Lancelot Baptiste, GTU.
If one looks at this team, one cannot find a single person sympathetic to the PPP’s cause in it, and thus one expects full support from this team for the PNC-led Government. So when they published their report, the administration was very happy; so happy that, upon receiving the Report in April 2018, the Minister of Education, Ms Henry, expressed her pleasure with the outcome at a simple handing over ceremony where the PNC appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr Vibert Welch, submitted the report to her.
So to now hear President Granger express that the report is deficient exposes how disingenuous and dishonest this PNC-led Government really is when it comes to its treatment of the ordinary people.
I implore Mr Granger to listen to the words issued by Ms Amna Ally, former opposition spokesperson on education, who said in 2009 in defence of an education issue then, “Let us bring this issue to an end and reassure the professionals in the system that there is still space for them to act as guardians of the country’s education system”. What was good for the goose when Ms Ally was in the opposition is also good for the gander now that she and her PNC colleagues have the power to make right by the education professionals in the system.
In this internet age, Mr Granger cannot try a Burnham and fool the people. I have looked at the 2018 Budget Estimates and I have found at least 10 areas where funds are stacked for pageantry purposes in subservience to the Executive. These can easily be diverted to pay the teacher 15 percent in year 1 and 5 percent in years 2 and 3, which I know the GTU would accept willingly. So stop lying to the teachers, because G$43 per day more cannot work.
Sincerely,
Sasenarine Singh
