Dear Editor,
When the GTU called out the teachers on a strike, it was called out by the Government as an illegal act. The union vehemently rejected that statement as one that was mischievous and misleading to the public. Their contention was that the strike was strictly an industrial affair, and had nothing to do with politics or industrial action.
But was this an honest statement? Was the union only focusing on the financial and general wellbeing of teachers? Were the teachers’ “earning a livable wage” the central theme of the strike?
Well, apparently not, because when the settlement was finally inked, with the teachers getting a good deal, Coretta McDonald was agitated. Why is she still in a combative mode?
The answer to those questions is pretty simple: she did not see the ultimate fulfillment of the political wishes of her party and a disruption in all economic activities here; none of that occurred.
One of the major fulfillment clauses in that sordid attempt was to hold this country in a lockdown and force the Government into making inordinate financial increases that were not economically feasible at this time.
Coretta McDonald wanted her party to have a stranglehold on this country similar to what occurred during the Ramotar Administration. That did not take place, hence her extremely gloomy and negative attitude.
It was all about scoring political points using the teachers as pawns in her diabolical game, while at the same time denying our children valuable instruction time. For 75 days, our children, the nation’s future, were placed on the chopping block; there was no thought of country, no thought of the children, and a total lack of patriotism as she went on a rampage. But like I said, that foolish campaign came to a screeching halt when the GTU President entered into a binding agreement to end the strike.
Dr Lyte finally saw the light, as he championed country over politics. He would go down in history as a restorer of the breach, where he put a stop to a political general secretary and her out-of-control political plan. He would be remembered by future generations as a leader who opted for the progressive, forward-thinking goals of his country.
But before this feral outburst, it is interesting to know how the PNC treated women, and in particular teachers. You would recall APNU’s total disregard for Coretta McDonald and her teachers. This woman was denied – I repeat: denied – the protocol of even having an audience with her own party. They simply shut her out as well as shut her up; she became a virtual nobody.
As a result, the crestfallen, beaten-up Coretta McDonald had to run to Dr Jagdeo for help. It took the efforts of an indefatigable Bharrat Jagdeo to engage Granger on the teachers’ plight. The reluctant response by Jordan was a 10% raise of pay in a 4-year period, which in monetary terms was a virtual 2.5% yearly increase. The teachers got nothing!
Fast forward to the present 27% increase spread over 3 years, that is 10%, 8% and 9%, which is a vast improvement to what the PNC offered them. Therefore, we can safely conclude that Coretta McDonald tried to either create chaos and an economic downturn in this country, or earn herself a merit badge and get back into the good graces of her party. In either plan she failed miserably.
Finally, Dr Lyte has achieved the ultimate goal of being a masculine man; that is, standing up to an out-of- place, overambitious Afro-Guyanese woman. He was finally able to assert his masculinity by removing himself from the petticoat of a politically blinded bully.
Dr Lyte is an emancipated man. Yes, he is having his name etched on the golden pages of black history.
Respectfully
submitted,
Neil Adams
