Dear Editor,
The GAWU recognises that Former Prime Minister (PM) Moses Nagamootoo is at it again, trying vainly and futilely to salvage his waning and we daresay tarnished reputation. The former PM says he has heeded our Union’s advice in his self-styled ‘My Turn’ column, which is relegated to his and other sympathetic social media pages. Indeed, if only he had decided to listen to GAWU several moons ago, possibly, it could have turned out better for him. Nonetheless, he chose to live by the consequences of his unbridled desire to relish the desire for high political office, irrespective of whose toes and, in our view, livelihoods he had to crush.
In his ‘Once upon a time’ serenade, the ex-PM tells us about the number of views of his posts. Mr Nagamootoo, if there was never before a perfect example of egotistical frivolity, you have certainly hit the nail on the head. We are at a loss to see the connection between our contentions and your social media statistics, except to say it’s a useless attempt to puff one’s deflated chest.
The former PM refers to past episodes of his apparent, then youthful, activism. Of course, knowing what we know now, we have to wonder whether those incidents were really of genuine concern or compassion. Or were they sensational attempts to bolster his credentials to secure his long-held ambitions? Who knows, but one cannot ignore such concerns.
Mr Nagamootoo says elements of his article concerning former Presidents Burnham and Hoyte’s treatment of the sugar industry and workers were not carried. It caused us to look at the former PM’s post on his social media page to see whether we missed anything. The only mention of the two former Presidents was when Mr Nagamootoo said, “…the industry, which had seen hard times under the previous Burnham-Hoyte regimes.” Is this slap on the wrist, the former PM says, was edited when his post was published elsewhere? We said before and will say again, the erstwhile gentleman is an expert at deception, hypocrisy, and, from all appearances, his shame knows no bounds. Let us not forget that, though he attempts now to burnish his anti-Burnham credentials, he was a proud peacock honouring the former President when he occupied the PM’s office. Indeed, it says a lot about principles.
It was noteworthy to see the admission that the APNU+AFC closed sugar estates. In his previous post, Mr Nagamootoo said thousands of sugar workers were rendered jobless, as he put it then, “…when the industry was restructured.” See what we said about his chameleon-like qualities. He is quick to obfuscate, misdirect and hoodwink. He would probably make Houdini blush.
We are told about what took place in other regional sugar-producing countries. But the former PM has ignored, conveniently or not, that Guyana, unlike our contemporaries, had the benefit of flat, arable lands; the availability of fresh water, and the ability to expand production. It also appears that Mr Nagamootoo, now in retirement, has not kept abreast of what is taking place regionally. Indeed, had that been the case, he would have known, for instance, of the recent investments in Jamaica’s new sugar factory and cultivations.
The ex-PM shared ‘once-upon-a-time’ he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with sugar workers. Offered solidarity in their struggles. But when he graduated to the Prime Minister’s office, he turned his back on those workers and their families. He was a key player in an Administration that sent thousands of workers home and seriously jeopardised the well-being of tens of thousands of Guyanese. Mr Nagamootoo said he did not refer to the ILO’s study. We urge him to digest that study carefully and have a clearer understanding of what he and his comrades in Government did to so many ordinary Guyanese.
The ever ‘compassionate’ former-PM said he rejoiced when he heard the dismissed sugar workers would be paid their entitlements. He went on to say the euphoria was cut short when he confronted his medical difficulties. Indeed, we are happy to know that the PM got the best treatment; certainly, he, like every Guyanese, deserved nothing less. But while he got the ‘best’ he said he could not have ensured the best for the compatriots he said he loved so dearly and cared so deeply about.
Mr Nagamootoo can choose to wax lyrical to his repaired heart’s desire. His record as PM regarding the sugar industry, as in many other things of the Coalition Government, speaks clearly and bluntly. In the sugar industry, there was massive regression, heartbreak, and all-around suffering. No nice words, punch lines, and sensational propaganda can erase those realities. Today, the destruction is being reversed, and lives are being improved.
Yours truly,
Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)
Editor’s note:
Mr. Nagamootoo never referenced any the International Labour Organisation in his Op-ed. The reference was made by this publication in a news article based on the former prime minister’s op-ed.
