Camping out

Last Saturday, the police had to remove the latest ‘tent’ of the so-called “People’s Parliament”, erected in the work-in-progress park opposite the Public Buildings. Did you see photos of the structure?? This was a very fancy-smancy undertaking – precisely aligned and fitted aluminium struts bolted onto the concrete posts. Throw on some zinc sheets and you had a house better than half the structures in Sophia.
A week or so ago, the police had taken down one of those portable collapsible camp- style tents and told the organisers to scram. The “People’s Parliamentarians” vowed to return – and they did, with their aluminium structure. Maybe this time next week, the police will have to take down a two-storey Florida-style bungalow like we have on the East Coast!! The location’s not bad, eh? But what’s really going on with this “People’s Parliament” thing? Seems that’s it’s headed by a bunch of middle-class ladies, determined to imitate whatever they see going on in the U. S. We had an “Occupy Wall Street” there – so they had to have an “Occupy Parliament” in Guyana. Well, we know Wall Street’s filled with greedy money blood-suckers that needed to be taken down a notch or two.
Were our urban sisters taking on the greedy, power-hungry opposition politicians who’d seized control of Parliament and held the executive at ransom? Sadly, no. They were cut from the same cloth as the opposition so their gimmick, they said, was designed to highlight the Linden protests. As if that needed highlighting! But why Parliament? Were they pointing out that the electricity issue should have been settled in Parliament during the budget debate? Nope! That would be – horrors of horrors!! – agreeing with the (gasp!) government. Can’t have that, can we? But why call themselves “People’s Parliament”? Are they saying the Parliament, controlled by the opposition with their one- seat majority, isn’t sanctioned by the “people”? Nah!! But it sure sounds like that.
What their name does suggest (Freudian slip??) is a combination of Burnham’s “People’s Parliament”. Ultimately, what the exercise demonstrates (apart from the need of the urban middle class to experience “the great outdoors”) is the continued undermining of our political system. People’s Parliament is identical to the Linden protests – without the sans-culottes.
Sugar conclave
The president just addressed our rural sans-culottes – sugar workers – at the GAWU Congress. For more than 60 years – ever since Cheddi took his oath at the Enmore Martyrs’ funeral – sugar workers have borne the brunt of the struggle for democracy in this country. When the British were ruling, to struggle against the sugar barons was to struggle against the imperial crown. And struggle these workers did – as they paid for concessions with their blood. Then they had to struggle against Burnham for free and fair elections.
The president reminded the workers of the snakes-in-the-grass who come among them to offer nothing more than “sweet talk”. We know who these “razor blades” are. We hope that as the sugar workers get down to business after all the fancy speeches have been made, they will bring up the charges for water, medical care, and cleaning of drains – all of which had been supplied by GuySuCo as part of their fringe benefits – now taken over by the government and for which they have to pay. Full dollar.
The “razor blades” will never bring up this issue, but they will accuse the government of being “spiteful and racial” to try to equalise the electricity rates at Linden with that of the rest of the country.
To Sir with Love
Apart from honouring ER Braithwaite, no one has mentioned, in the midst of our education crisis, what his book is all about. If teachers care about the children in their classes, all of them can be taught. It all has to do with caring. Maybe Braithwaite can talk to our teachers?