Labour shortage affecting entire country – Ali

All the private entities in the Region Six are complaining about a shortage of labour, and according to President Ali during a press conference on Friday in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice -Corentyne), this is a national complaint.

The Head of State, who was wrapping a twoday visit to the region said Government is currently combing across the entire country to find available labour. Ali pointed out that in the construction sector in Region Six there is a need for an additional 600 skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

“This is just to deliver the houses that we plan on doing this year,” Ali said.

Government is currently on a housing drive as it pushes to develop 50,000 house lots over a five-year period at an average of 10,000 per year. With the new house lots comes an increasing demand for the construction of

“Elaborate schemes” by real...

“Many times, the Ministry of Housing has to deal with elaborate schemes where people are selling house lots and all of these things… So, in the future and planning ahead, I think more emphasis must and will be placed on the actual construction of the homes,” he stated.

These acts, according to President Ali, are mostly prevalent in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) especially along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway.

“We have seen in Region Four, real estate agents and agencies as part of the problem. Even in [the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission] they would tell you we have this great difficulty and it’s becoming a major issue for us on the Linden/Soesdyke

Highway because of the now greater net realizable value of the lands on the highway. There is a massive attempt to sell leased lands and convert leased lands,” he stated.

Recognising that the dynamics in the home ownership culture in Guyana is changing with more young people now moving to acquire their own assets, the Head of State pointed out that this tremendous aggression and expansion in the Housing Sector in Region Six requires a greater level of human resource capability.

As such, he noted that in modernising the country’s public sector, focus is being placed on the efficiency of governance, the reliability of governance, reducing bureaucracy and

FROM PAGE 3 improving the way business is done. houses.

“In government, sometimes we just look at service but it is the way we do business [in the public sector] because our delay is costing people. When we delay, it costs businesses, it costs ourselves time and inconvenience. So, one of things we need to do is have more monitoring. We need to have a more collaborative effort– an interagency coordinating mechanism. And one of things this exercise did, it brought professionals from different agencies together. So, they were able to build a network and reach other… working in the same environment [over past two days]… and this will help a lot too moving forward,” he said.

According to Ali, the housing drive which is national has created a demand for labour that the country does not have. He pointed out that Guyanese living in the Caribbean might be able to fill a percentage of the gap in Region Six.

“We are seeing a lot of remigration from Suriname. A lot of skilled persons are coming back from there, from Barbados –from the Caribbean especially. This tells you that they are responding to the opportunities home here.”

The labour shortage impacting development in Region Six is not a new occurrence.

In November 2021, members of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) told Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh that the shortage of labour was having a significant impact on the business sector in the region.

Chambers noted that in the construction industry, Venezuelan nationals are a better option for labour as are more punctual at their work sites and attend work daily, unlike locals.

“It is just that many Guyanese do not want to work,” one Chamber member said back then.

Past CCCC President, Muhammed Rafeek called for a database on available labour.

In May last year, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told the diaspora that there is a severe labour shortage, particularly for some types of skills.

“It’s hard to find, even for the housing sector now, carpenters and construction people in many areas. You may have to allow them if they want to bring in 500 Mexicans to work on this project, complete it and then leave. So, you may have to allow it because if you don’t, and you take labour from the existing market then what happens is the prices go up and you have scarcity, and it would affect your capital programmes,” Jagdeo said. (G4)

…(mal)functioning?

Well, now that Budget 2023 has been passed, the Parliamentarians have performed their most strenuous task for the year: showing up for TEN DAYS to debate, and then approve, the Budget and its spending details. Whew!! But let’s not forget they were in an air-conditioned hall, and had cold water in a decanter, with regular breaks to contemplate a sumptuous dinner every night. Duck curry with red wine?? The AG smarmily pointed out that one female had “seconds” FIVE TIMES!! Fifths??

Now, who’s your Eyewitness to begrudge these hardworking MPs a meal? Surely, we know they barely get by on their $700,000 monthly salary, paid phone bills and dutyfree vehicles. And the Budget debate was, interestingly, the occasion for the Home Affairs Minister to announce that some additional officials will be given permission to use sirens and flashing lights, to leave us poor slobs in the dust when we’re in traffic jams!! Guess the Police vehicles and ambulances that are ALWAYS rushing to emergencies aren’t causing enough confusion on our chock-full roadways!!

But back to Parliament or, more properly, the National Assembly. Whatever happened to those four Sectoral Committees – Economic, Natural Resources, Foreign Relations and Social Services - that were introduced when, after the 1997 elections, the PNC bludgeoned the then PPP Government to “share power”?? Your Eyewitness has been hearing they can’t meet because of the PPP. But aren’t at any given time two of the Committees being chaired by an Opposition MP?? Who can convene meetings?? C’mon now…what’s the REAL reason those committees aren’t grilling officials on the execution or dereliction of their official duties?? Is it because meetings would cut into their free time??

Now, your Eyewitness realizes that, in Parliamentary governments, the majority can pretty much do what they want. In motions – for spending or whatever – the Speaker doesn’t even have to lift his head to count the vote he calls. Unless, of course, there’s a Charrandas as a fly in the ointment!! But the Opposition can still make waves based on their stance on the selfsame motions that are passed routinely. For instance, on the voting for pensions and social assistance etc, the Opposition’s calls for bigger increases have certainly resonated in the target demographics. Surely, some will be swayed to change their votes come 2025!! And that’s how the democratic cookie crumbles, isn’t it??

The challenge for the Opposition is how do they overcome the mistrust in the swing voters – past and future – when they just about rubbished every promise they’d made to them before 2015!! Well, there’s new leadership at the helm, and Cde Norton just gotta throw the previous leaders under the bus by singing along lustily with Shaggy – “Wasn’t me!!”

They’ve got the National Assembly as their bully pulpit!! Use it!!

…statesmanship

As you would know, dear reader, your Eyewitness has been asking – nay, PLEADING! – for the longest while, for Caricom to step up to the crease on behalf of their fellow member Haiti. Ever since poor President Moise was assassinated by that Colombian mercenary platoon, the second oldest republic in the hemisphere has continued to plummet into the abyss of failed state-ness at the hands of rampaging gangs. The US Secty General has repeatedly asked for intervention, but there’ve been no takers.

Now, are Haitians not men and our brothers?? And aren’t we supposed to be our brothers’ keepers?? What was all that fat talk when Haitians were passing through to Brazil to escape the hellhole Haiti had become?? How come all those strident letter writers on behalf of Haitians from back then are now silent?? Well, PM Holness of Jamaica just announced his country’s willing to send troops to Haiti!!

Let’s see what the rest of Caricom – including Guyanadoes. We need boots on the ground for Haiti!!

…etiquette

If he weren’t pigmentally-challenged, your Eyewitness would’ve been tickled pink about the urbanity and conviviality with which the Budget debate ended. But he suspects that ten days of feasting on duck curry and swigging vino will soothe any savage beast!!