…on labour
Lincoln Lewis of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is quite miffed that the PNC-led Government wouldn’t even give “Labour” the courtesy of having a “Ministry of Labour” to deal with the needs of that bloc. But really, he should be very happy since one would be hard-pressed to identify even one of the 23 Ministries set up by the PNC as helping their identified constituents. In fact, if the truth be told, they’ve worked assiduously to UNDERMINE those interests.
Pick a Ministry…ANY Ministry, dissect its operations and you’ll agree with your Eyewitness. Ministry of Finance? Does Lewis REALLY think this Ministry’s SHRINKING of the Guyanese economy, rather than to encourage it to grow, is what Labour needs?? Agriculture?? Now, don’t snicker too hard, Dear Reader, you could hurt yourself!! There are serious concerns whether there will be something called “agriculture” in Guyana, after this Minister!! And then there’s the so-called Minister of “Social Cohesion”: this should clinch the argument!! Never have so few screwed up the possibilities of “cohesion” of so many – possibly with the exception of Attila the Hun and his invading hordes!!
No…what Labour needs in Guyana are “JOBS”…scads and scads of them. It’s as simple as that…it’s only with a job where you get paid for your labour that you can live with some modicum of dignity. And how do you create jobs? Not by expanding the public service, the Army and Police, bringing back the Militia and the Cadets like the first PNC Government did – and this one is replicating. Those aren’t jobs that create anything to generate revenues…they are meant to SERVICE a society in which there are already productive jobs to do that.
And that’s what BUSINESSES do!! So the PNC wasn’t wrong to set up a Ministry of Business. If that Ministry does its job and attract businesses, wouldn’t they be compelled to hire LABOUR?? And isn’t this what Lewis wants? This isn’t a chicken and egg problem where we agonise forever about which comes first: business comes BEFORE labour. Without businesses to utilise the skills we may possess or develop, we are just lumps of flesh and sinews…not LABOUR!
The problem with this Government is the fella they’ve appointed a Minister of Business…and their unfortunate compulsion to count business people’s money and get all hot and sweaty about getting a piece of the action. Lewis can wax eloquent as much as he wants about the glory days of Labour when it produced all the politicians now running around like Little Caesars.
Those days came about because the State was unabashedly backing foreign BUSINESSES to exploit labour.
At least, let’s create new businesses which unions can then rail about!!
…on corruption
One fella who’s been threatening to launch a new political party took time out to take some pot shots at some individuals who he probably considers as threats to his ambitions. There’s that old saying about crabs in a barrel!! But in his remarks about what one of his “rivals” might’ve said about “corruption”, he reveals he’s not ready for the big leagues.
Now your Eyewitness knows it’s politically correct to condemn “corruption” in toto. But the aspiring politician should ask why does corruption flourish in some countries and wither in others. If corruption was just a matter of greedy folks, surely greed’s evenly distributed.
What economists – like De Soto – discovered decades ago when they investigated that question was corruption flourishes where institutions don’t function….and actually hinder processes that were intended. So, say, it takes 10 years to get title to a property – when that title is needed to sell it and invest the proceeds – don’t be surprised if a bribe is passed to “grease the wheels”.
And from an economic perspective the bribe’s “good”!!
…on this Government’s failure
In its first incarnation, the PNC destroyed all the functioning institutions left by the British. And that’s why corruption became so endemic.
But then Granger’s vowed to complete Burnham’s legacy!!
