…in sugar today?
Your Eyewitness understands tomorrow the Government will be officially joining in on the commemoration of the 15 – yes…15! – indentured and non-indentured sugar workers who’d been massacred by the planters/govt/policemen at Plantation Rose Hall (Canje) on March 13, 1913. Your Eyewitness can only wonder in anticipation of what Moses Nagamootoo, representing the Government, will be telling the descendants of those massacred workers.
After all, the Government’s pretty much confirmed as imminent Rose Hall’s closure – just as Wales was last December. And throwing out another 1700 workers or so from the estate. What’s the difference with a few hundred sugar workers here and there: they don’t really matter, do they? Then and now.
Back in 1913, the workers had toiled on their Sundays and longer hours during the weekdays to bring the crop to a successful close. They’d been promised a four-day holiday in the ‘out of crop” to recompense them. But at the last moment, the manager reneged – and demanded they show up to plant cane!! The workers balked and seven of them were threatened with eviction from the logees they occupied and transferred to other plantations.
When they complained to the Immigration Agent in NA, who was supposed to protect their interest, they were then charged by the manager. At the court, the men were advised by their lawyer to plead guilty – which they did, even though they disagreed. But now, the manager decided to demand the workers pay his legal fees! This was too much for the workers and they protested.
The Police who were brought from Georgetown under the command of its “Bad man” chief – who’d “quelled” indentured protests by killings before – were now sent to the logees to seize these “agitators”. But at the logees, the folks thought it was the old manager’s eviction order being enforced, and resisted. The Police opened fire with their new machine gun and 15 persons – including one woman – was killed and 42 wounded!
But that was back then…what about now? When the Government closes Rose Hall, how many persons will be killed when they can’t find work? How many will commit suicide? How many will be evicted from their homes? What is the difference then and now, when the “Big Manja” could just snap his fingers and lives would be snuffed out?
Your Eyewitness has no problem with the Government “rationalising” sugar production in Guyana. But unlike the planters who then owned the plantations, now it’s the Government of GUYANA, and they have an obligation to provide alternative employment before throwing workers to the dogs.
Your Eyewitness looks forward to the address by PM Nagamootoo.
…between SARA and SOCU?
Your Eyewitness is challenged by these new outfits deployed by the Government against the Opposition – oops! – crime. SOCU – Special Organised Crime Unit – is the one formed by the PPP to nab “organised crime” laundering their ill-gotten gains by throwing up high rises like jumbie umbrellas and such other schemes? But here it is SOCU’s now going after fellas who – at the very worst – arranged to buy land at lower than market rates. So the question troubling your Eyewitness is this: were they laundering money or financing terrorists?
Your Eyewitness, who freely admits he’s not as au fait with the English language as SOCU’s English-sponsored advisor, would’ve thought such get-rich schemes might be more in the bailiwick of SARA – the State Assets Recovery Agency. Land is a “state asset”, no?
Ah well…it’s all about nailing the Opposition and it doesn’t matter whether the cat is white or black, does it?
…on parking meters?
So, what’s the latest on the Parking Meters, apart from inspiring “town people” to street theatre? Well, the Minister of State says there needs to be more consultation. Yep!!
Your Eyewitness thinks the Government’s just waiting out the chatterati in the streets!! And with good reason. Remember the Occupy Movement?
