Give those 600 something, PM

THE EDITOR: Open letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

This is about the 600 temporary workers at Petrotrin who will be leaving with zero compensation. I have no family member, neither am I an employee of the company and as such this will not directly impact me and my household.

However, I must ask how in good conscious can anyone put these individuals on the breadline without anything to “float” them through until better can be done. How can you, my Prime Minister, allow such statements without any empathy as those by Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet? “Some will suffer” and “we cannot develop a formula based on feelings.”

These people have rent/mortgage to pay, children to send to school, food to buy. When they have nothing to float on what are you saying to them? I am so deeply hurt and ashamed of my country.

Mr PM, you desire crime to go down; it would not. It will increase, giving poor CoP Gary Griffith extra work to do. The school feeding programme, textbook management and student attendance will be affected as these 600 individual try to juggle through, putting an extra strain on the social system. Depression and anxiety are sure to take a toll and street dwelling will increase as some will not be able to cope in an already crippled economy.

Mr PM, please let good sense prevail. If you have to cut and contrive from wherever to ensure these 600 individuals get a minimum $20,000 to carry them through, make it happen. The future of the directors and managers of Petrotrin and their families are secure, they have nothing to worry about. Therefore they can afford to make these moves.

As Prime Minister it is imperative that you take another look. This is not about feeling sorry, this is not about likes or dislikes, this is about basic human dignity, basic love and concern for the future of your citizens. Scrape up that money from anywhere, but please, please try and give these individuals something to float on.

STACEY GOULD, Claxton Bay