Guyana is not a welfare state!

Feb 12, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

I was totally appalled to hear the President speak of giving teachers and public servants a welfare package. Welfare is financial support given to people in need. Some of the welfare programs in the US are supplemental nutrition programs such as meals in schools and temporary assistance for needy families.

To qualify for welfare in the United States “You must be unemployed or underemployed and have low or very low income” reference: www.benefits.gov (an official website of the United States government).

If the President feels that the citizens of this country are poor and have low or very low income then he should not be approving the proposal of a budget that does not put enough money in the pockets of our citizens. His recent statement supports what the hard-working workers of this country have been calling for. Our workers are not unemployed and our teachers work very hard to provide our children with the best education possible.

Before our country found oil and gas we provided our children with food. During the years when our country was embargoed we made the most of the limited resources we had. We recycled our text books at school and took our own food to school. We volunteered to help each other learn and our teachers went the extra mile to ensure we were well prepared for our exams. We also topped the Caribbean in CXC exams during that period. Now that we are reaching the highest earnings per capita in the world the current administration thinks that our teachers, public servants and other workers should be welfare recipients. This is utterly disrespectful and unacceptable.

We the Guyanese People have always worked hard for what we have and we have always made the most of the little we have. We are not beggars of the State and we are not totally dependent on Government handouts. The Party symbol of His Excellency Dr. Jagan is not a beggar’s cup. Do not make it one! Show some respect for the hardworking people of our Country. Those around who are old enough to remember the hardships of the embargo know what Guyanese independence, freedom, self reliance and self respect are. We didn’t beg then and we will not beg now. The current President and his administration owes the people of our great Nation an apology! Guyana is not a welfare State.

Pay our workers an acceptable wage so you may no longer deem us impoverished and in need of government welfare programs and government handouts. Take our citizens out of poverty by paying everyone a living wage. Then build your oversized never ending buildings, and your wider roads for your luxury cars. Maybe our sea defense will fix itself and your wider roads will not wash away, and your never ending buildings will not flood. The needs of the workers must be addressed and given priority. It is now questionable if the current administration is capable of understanding the needs of our workers. Where is the emotional intelligence and the empathy? If you are too young to remember, ask your parents what it was like during the time of the embargo. If there was an appreciation for the hardships of the past our government would not give away millions to Exxon while the impoverished workers of our Nation have to go on the streets to demand a decent wage. There should be no more condescending comments and anti-worker policies. The President must not be out of touch with the reality, which the Guyanese worker faces, and he must show an appreciation for the urgency of the situation. Guyana is not a welfare State! If he thinks this is the case then he should immediately change it.

With concern,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

• Dr. Jagan, Government, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana, the Caribbean in CXC