Dear Editor,
I should like to proffer another perspective on the issue of the increase in pay our Guyana legislators have granted themselves in these ‘worst of times’. Perhaps this perspective could be embraced by thinking Guyanese, though not likely by those who seem hell bent on bringing down the APNU+AFC coalition for national unity government that we heralded, just five short months ago, as the harbinger of ‘the best of times’ for Guyana, after that horrific experience of the PPP/C government.
First of all we need to consider the task we placed in the hands of our government when we set out to fumigate Guyana by dispatching the Jagdeo-Ramotar government in the May 11, 2015 elections. We charged those we placed at the helm of our nation (before finally getting on with the job of national development) with the task to pursue unrelentingly, all those associated with the old administration who were corrupt and recover our plundered assets. That’s very intensive labour.
Two bits of reasoning received a very long time ago, have been instructive in this matter. My mother, Hilda Cambridge, was the one who taught me to understand the logic of a mantra: “The hope of reward sweetens labour;” then there was Rick Henderson, a musician friend of my husband Julian Mayfield. Rick was a saxophonist, once a part of the Duke Ellington band. When asked if he was able to make any real money teaching young musicians. Rick said: “I pay myself first; you should always make sure you pay yourself first.”
Though in total agreement with some questions about the manner and timing of this decision to reward themselves, I believe that the negative brouhaha surrounding their pay slips could be distracting to what ought to be the focus of our coalition government’s first order of business. I suggest we allow them the leverage of an increase in salary while reminding them of their mandate and of our expectations of a living wage that ensures a better quality of life for teachers, public servants, pensioners, all, in their national budget presentation for 2016, the year of our 50th Independence anniversary jubi-lee. We can truly claim we that we did “Co-operate for Guyana” when we have evidence of repossession of our stolen assets with charges and harsh penalties imposed on those found guilty; we can spend our jubilee year celebrating in the essential spirit of Mashramani; a celebration after a co-operative exercise.
Those involved in Guyana’s assets recovery ought to be cheered along and rewarded in advance (why not) rather than heckled and demoralized.
Yours faithfully,
Joan Cambridge
