The government must partner with the working class

In politics, perception sometimes means more than reality. And the perception that the Bruce Golding-led administration has given more attention to the monied class over the working class remains strong. And the government’s action to some extent has reinforced this view. Of course, the government did keep one of its election promises, to abolish tuition fees in high schools. Indeed, this move reduced some of the burdens on the backs of the working class.

But this reprieve was short-lived, with rapid increases in the cost of living triggered by global movements in the prices of oil and food. It took some nudging from the political opposition for the government to develop a J$500 million package of subsidy on basic food items in order to ameliorate the burden on the backs of the poor.

Initially, the government gave the impression that it could do nothing, thus strengthening the perception that it was giving the merchant class a free hand to capitalise on the situation at the expense of the poor.

The government’s decision to bail out big banana farmers after Hurricane Dean, while many small and medium sized farmers are left to paddle on their own, has not gone down well in some quarters. While we are fully aware that government would not be able on its own to fulfill its promise of creating jobs, its performance in that area is yet to materialise.

Apart from the latest drive by Pearnel Charles to recruit 2,000 workers for overseas programmes, the government has to date only been able to provide jobs for its key political operatives. In fact, over 400 workers are slated to be laid off at the state-owned public bus company, starting this week. And more jobs at Air Jamaica and elsewhere in the public sector, are on the chopping block.

Amidst the apprehension and instability, has the government abandoned its plan to distribute J$1 billion in relief assistance to 57,000 persons deemed to have been dislocated by the passage of Hurricane Dean? What has happened to the plans to relocate and re-house residents in the Old Harbour Bay area? Is that still on or not? We cannot afford for the needs of the people, who are often voiceless and dispossessed, to fall from our notice and interest.

We know that there are no easy answers to these questions, and in many cases jobs will be lost in order to restructure some of these debt-ridden agencies, but the government must meet the challenge in a way that treats the working class and the marginalised as partners and not spectators with perceptions which do not meet reality.

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