Guyana Chronicle
April 11, 2001

"A great portion of our institutional memory has been erased and in a matter of minutes, our vital records including financial statements, organised records, historical documents and other crucial information were destroyed and consumed forever" - union President, Mr Komal Chand by Mark Ramotar THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Rice Producers' Association (GRPA) yesterday reported substantial losses in Monday's inferno in Georgetown, laying blame squarely on the shoulders of the opposition People's National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) and its `cohorts' for the destruction.

President of GAWU, Mr. Komal Chand also said GAWU is led to believe that the talk of dialogue and negotiation coming from the PNC/R is but "empty rhetoric meant to play for time..."

Chand said the talk was actually a facade for more nefarious, destructive activity associated with the publicly enunciated phases of `slow fire' and `more fire' by the main opposition party.

The headquarters of GAWU and GRPA were destroyed when fire gutted several buildings on Regent and Robb streets Monday afternoon.

"Where will this arson, (the) terror and destabilisation lead? What will the loss of jobs, personal insecurities and constant fear in the capital city do for the Guyanese nation?" Chand questioned at a news conference yesterday.

He said "if the real objective of the opposition exercise is to provoke reaction from the other besieged section of the peaceful population, the silent majority, then GAWU is appealing to those Guyanese and its thousands of members to harbour no thoughts of retaliation..."

"...leave it to our gallant security forces who, by and large, are still offering services of protection," he advised.

According to Chand, GAWU is strongly against doing anything to satisfy the evil objectives of the preachers of hate and their political masters.

"The peace must be kept by the majority of the Guyanese population. GAWU as a union has fought these battles before during the decades of struggle for industrial and political democracy, the organisation lost stalwarts, including Kowsilla."

Chand said GAWU commits and rededicates its existence and energies to the promotion of workers' welfare and the future and well-being of Guyanese, declaring, "our headquarters will rise again." He denounced what he called "evil mischief makers, destabilisers and race mongers."

Chand said the union regrets the significant losses suffered on Monday as a result of the conflagration that began amid a PNC/R led protest, which started outside of the Office of the President earlier in the day.

The protest, against the re-appointment of Dr Roger Luncheon as Head of the Presidential Secretariat, was organised in collaboration with the Guyana Public Service Union.

Chand said GAWU's entire base was gutted and consumed by the "fiery flames of hatred", which began in the A H & L Kissoon building many yards away, but in the same city block of Lacytown in Georgetown.

Briefing reporters in front the charred remains of the GIMPEX complex which housed the union, the GRPA and other businesses, Chand said the loss naturally meant a lot to the leadership and executive of the union.

"A great portion of our institutional memory has been erased and in a matter of minutes, our vital records including financial statements, organised records, historical documents and other crucial information were destroyed and consumed forever," he said.

According to Chand, this is what makes GAWU's losses almost unbearable. "Our members' welfare, the status and well-being of thousands of workers in the sugar, rice, forestry, manufacturing and clerical sectors have been put at severe risk, if only temporarily."

He said some opposition political leaders, as part of an orchestrated campaign of destabilisation and terror, have put at risk the welfare of thousands of the nation's workers.

"GAWU notes with regret too, the hundreds of jobs lost, scores of lives affected and the billions of dollars lost as a result of the fires started during the downtown unrest created by the riotous supporters of the PNC/R in the main," Chand said.

"Where is the strong, immediate rebuke from the Guyana Trades Union Congress and when will the TUC executive come out against this politically organised assault against workers' welfare?"

Those immediately affected by the fire are GAWU's 38 staff members, 26 of whom had operated from the now gutted base.

The GRPA is still estimating its losses as a result of the destruction of its offices.

In a statement, the association said rice farmers have suffered at the hands of the PNC/R, which is "pursuing this same dangerous game to reverse the progress made by our hardworking farmers and people in general".

The organisation said it is in the process of identifying a temporary office so that it can continue to represent the interests of rice farmers.

Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Navin Chandarpal, who visited the site yesterday, said the entire situation was very unfortunate.

"This is very unfortunate, especially at a time when we are looking to boost production in this country...that we can have people going about setting fires and causing destruction in general, and particularly because GAWU and the GRPA are organisations which play a great role in boosting production and the welfare of people in the sugar and rice sectors."

Chandarpal said the destruction is a tremendous setback and would interfere with development in the sectors.