Dear Editor,
Burnham told us that the word Mashramani was coined from an Amerindian term meaning “play after work”; but, in essence, what is there to play? What is there to celebrate? When a sizable section of our working people are out of a job and nothing by way of an income to finance their families, the question needs to be asked again: What is there to celebrate? This is the stark reality of a Guyanese existence.
Soon after taking office, over 2000 Amerindian brothers and sisters was fired. Those of our original Guyanese brethren were dismissed for no apparent reason, the only sensible reason was that they were hired during the PPP/C time in office, and as such were branded party supporters. You are speaking of ordinary people who were eking out a living just like anybody else, with no political strings attached. And even if they had political lineage, aren’t they entitled to have one?
Soon after, the Government began the dismantling of the sugar industry, closing four estates and firing near 7,000 workers, with the excuse again that the industry was a drain on the public purse.
So where was the drain on the public purse when you could have bloated the same system with more individuals than their former employer? Again, this is the good life that the PNC-led coalition wants us to believe in.
Further to our discussion is the fact that when news came to us that Government is mulling the idea of the reopening of the sugar estates and the rehiring of the dismissed workers, this came to us as good news. However, we are now of the understanding that this is not so, only two of the four estates would be reopening, and a handful of workers rehired. This Government has done it again — using taxpayers’ money to first rehabilitate those two estates, then practically giving them away.
Finally, ours is a miserable existence in this part of the globe fashioned and left for dead under a vindictive, spiteful and uncaring regime.
So, during this period of so-called celebration, our country is mourning; mourning that we are ever so divided and pauperized by an evil regime. In reality, there is nothing to celebrate.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
