The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A partnership for National Unity (APNU) has released a flyer on its Facebook page listing several measures it will implement if it secures a victory at next year’s General and Regional Election. Among these promises is a pay hike for temporary workers, a programme the party has severely flayed in the past.
The programme was designed at that time to allow persons to work with government agencies for 10 days a month at $4000 per day. The government continues to the fund the programme dubbing it a successful initiative.
In an article published by the Stabroek News on May 26, 2022, PNCR and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton was quoted as referring to the programme as an “ad hoc” response to the cost-of-living woes.
“[Norton] said that the government is doing nothing to address inflation and by throwing money at the issue, it makes it worse,” the article, titled “Opposition questions funding, nature of temporary jobs announced by Jagdeo” stated.
But that was not the first time that Norton took aim at the programme. In fact, at a press conference on August 25, 2022, he said, “The Opposition has been reliably informed by people in all Regions that the PPP is using workers under the temporary part-time employment scheme to do its political work.”
Without providing any evidence despite claiming to be in receipt of “numerous” reports, Norton went on to say that the opposition condemns the use of the temporary workers as “political workers” in a claims and objection process. He then called on the government to “end this corrupt practice immediately”, since it was “clearly an abuse of state resources and corruption”.
When he was pressed to back up his claim with evidence such as a sample of names of persons who were performing such duties, he did not provide any, but said “they are all around”.
Norton, however, assured that his party activists were monitoring the situation with a view of identifying these so-called political workers moonlighting as temporary staffers. But that was two years ago. No identities were ever revealed, and no further evidence was placed in the public domain.
Now, the PNCR/APNU is promising to raise the pay of these very workers if it wins the 2025 elections.
Some of the other measures included in the flyer of promises, include a rent-to-own housing programme; up to 35 percent increase in salaries; and a national school transportation system.
The party is also promising direct cash transfers, including rent assistance, childcare allowances for newborns and toddlers and, mortgage assistance.
However, some of these plans contradict stances taken by the very PNCR over the years. The party is on record at various intervals since it was voted out of office in 2020, criticising the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of creating a culture of dependency by providing handouts. The party mentioned this when the government provided cash grants during the Covid-19 pandemic, the payout of $250,000 to sugar workers who had been axed by the PNCR-led government, and other initiatives.
On May 2, 2023, the Opposition Leader was quoted in a NewsSource.com article, “Norton urges real benefits and not hand-outs for public servants”, as saying: “I want to urge you as workers not to be carried away by silly handouts. They cannot take you out of poverty. What is needed, is measures that can take out people out of poverty.”
