The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has said that the government’s failure to secure the One Mile Primary School in Linden is responsible for its torching on Sunday, which has resulted in about 800 children being displaced.
In a press statement, the union body stated that it is the government’s responsibility to safeguard public property and with the case of Linden, it opined that additional forces should have been deployed if they had been informed that properties were being targeted.
The school—the largest in the region—was torched by men who stormed the compound and told security guards on duty that they were part of the “struggle” before setting the building alight using bottles of gasoline. Two men were later arrested but released due to a lack of evidence.
According to the GTUC, the government must be held accountable for not deploying peace keeping forces and instead deploying troops for combat.
“GTUC say(s) to this government to back off with the violence and destruction. Violence is not the answer,” it declared.
GTUC blamed the government for Linden’s civil unrest, saying it stemmed from successive PPP/C administrations failing to acknowledge the right of Lindeners to development and to be treated just and right. “Linden is just a microcosm of what is largely occurring in several other areas and these are issues that must be addressed outside of a partisan framework,” it added.
The union body also noted that the leaders of Linden have acted with maturity by indicating their willingness to continue talks.
“This is not the action of people who want violence or who desire to reciprocate with violence. This is the behaviour of people who are looking for solutions, people who are prepared to negotiate but who believe that they must do so from a position of strength and not weakness,” it added.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing yesterday, President of the GTUC, Norris Witter, said that the events of July 18 are more than a Linden issue or even national issue.
He further commended the Lindeners for their “non-violent” behaviour thus far, while noting that they have been forced into “revolutionary mode.”
“The TUC now wishes to alert its affiliates and members to be in a state of preparedness for possible action. I will determine what form that action will take at the appropriate time,” he noted.
