Guyana - Barama - "Hard to get reliable information" - labour recruitment by Barama or its agents

Stabroeknews
Wednesday, March 21st 2007
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56516553

Dear Editor,

I am grateful to the many writers who have brought the improper exploitation of Guyana's forestry resources to the notice of the public. I share their deep concern.

Exploitation

A 16-year-old former ward of the charity for which I worked, told me he and two others were 'employed' by persons claiming to be recruiting for Barama. On their first assignment they were left stranded for three days on the riverside in a remote Essequibo region without food. They were only rescued after risking their lives on the river to get to within hailing distance of a passing boat. They were too poor and too illiterate to get justice, or even the supposed pay for their first 3 days of 'work'.

It was difficult for me to have made a check on the identity of the recruiters, so this can in no way constitute an accusation against Barama, but the company has done its credibility no good by failing to uphold its end of the overly generous concessions it obtained from our politicians.

This story is at least evidence that exploiters well know where to go to get their labour. In this case it was from North Sophia. It can also be used as an example for trying to convince street children and other truants of the importance of at least a basic education.

Information?

Perhaps, editor, or reader, you can advise me as to which agency of the State might exist to investigate and rectify such an injustice should it happen again. I did once in desperation, after fruitless runnings around, telephone the then Government Information Service (GIS) to find out which ministry or agency addressed a certain difficulty. I was put through to the manager, who readily admitted to the logic of my request, but oh so regretfully informed me that the agency was not outfitted to help me get that information. Within a year of that the Ministry of Information disappeared and GIS probably morphed into GINA.

Ability to think

If nothing else that ministry, from my acquaintance with it since the 1970's, has been mainly responsible for the successful propaganda to a sufficient number of especially young, impressionable citizens, who could otherwise have been motivated to contribute to their own and to our collective development, that

1. We as Guyanese really know very little: 'Massah' (the government or overseas expertise) knows best.

2. We are not (therefore) important enough to merit being answered, even tokenly, by Massah; so don't bother to ask; just hope you don't get into trouble. The poets have, I believe, written in vain about such mental environments.

And so, in the 21st century, 40 years after independence, apart from those who see no option but to take matters of their own and our existence into their hands, I find the vast majority of students looking for knowledge that is deducible or otherwise obtainable by simple observation. And they get it by copy - from official government sources, or from overseas sources (internet, etc.), or from what the most influential of them has copied.

Mr. Clarence Trotz has done us a favour in co-authoring that new Physics textbook. I look forward to reading it. Unfortunately the subject has too few students (who then tend to go and remain overseas) because it forces us to deduce results from scientifically established principles, all based on accurate observation. Let us hope the book helps to advance the self-belief in the ability to think that that indefatigable educator, now author, has always sought to encourage in his students.

Yours faithfully,

Alfred Bhulai

Editor's note

The proper place to report a job-related abuse of the kind you mention would be at the Labour Department in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security at 1 Water Street, Georgetown. The Chief Labour Officer is Mr. M. Akeel A.A.