Since the late 19th century, May 1st has been celebrated as International Workers’ Day. It’s widely known as ‘May Day’.
But not all countries celebrate it on May 1st. Some do so on the first Monday in May, and refer to it as ‘Labour Day’. St. Kitts & Nevis is such a country.
Now ‘May Day’ is also the term used internationally when people wish to signal that they’re in distress.
On Monday, May 6th, 2013, a lot of people in our Federation will be looking to enjoy themselves. Some will use the day to signal their political affiliation, while others will simply party. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But very few will be celebrating workers’ achievements.
Because, and let’s be honest, there’s very little that the workers of this country have to celebrate about. The truth is that they and the country are in great distress.
There’ll be the usual Labour Day March which, while it was originally intended to symbolize the solidarity of, and with, and respect for, workers in their struggles and their successes, and to celebrate trade unionism, has been transformed into a carnival parade with majorettes, DJ’s and live bands.
And there’s a reason for this transformation: from the moment Denzil Douglas became leader of the Labour Party, he took steps to solidify his personal power. And in order to do so, he wilfully weakened the Union and its leaders, orchestrating the installation of individuals to lead it who would never stand up to him, or take a stand in any major way in the cause of workers, as the record will
show. As far as he was, and still is, concerned, his power was, and still is, more important than the workers’ interests. Period!
He wanted all of the leadership attention and power focused on him, in both the Party and the Union. He wanted to become, as he now calls himself, “the Maximum Leader”. He’s mimicking Michael Manley.
In the process, the Union lost most of its virility and vitality, aided and abetted in no small measure by a number of situations in the workplace and in the operations of the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis which amply demonstrated that Douglas isn’t a supporter of industrial equity, and that he isn’t, and never was, a true Labour man, a fact which more and more people have now come to recognize.
But in addition to decimating the Union and showing his true anti-worker colours, his utterly incompetent, deceitful, divisive, crude, cruel and rotten leadership has caused such hardship, deprivation and depravity in this country that it’s hard to believe that his navel string is buried in this land of ours.
And the greatest pain and suffering from all of this has come to the workers and to the poorer folks.
Meanwhile, he has amused himself at their expense, with his stories about all the tears he has shed for people with their high electricity bills and for their other sufferings, with his manipulations and lies, and with his utterly disrespectful and unbecoming conduct in public places.
The credibility and integrity of the Labour Party and the Labour Movement generally have also been seriously wounded in the process, and his own approval rating has plummeted to 30% nationwide.
Instead of giving the workers of this country reason to celebrate, he has plunged them into distress. While he and his cronies have done well for themselves, the workers have caught hell and the poor have gotten poorer.
It’s clear for all who would wish to be honest about it that Denzil Douglas is unfit to be in a Labour Day March or any other workers’ march, far less to lead it.
Which self-respecting, politically conscious man or woman, which real Labour person, can walk behind, or with, Denzil Douglas in a workers’ march? Which person who genuinely cares about political, social and economic justice, good governance and cares about his or her country can line up behind this imposter?
Monday, May 6th, 2013, isn’t Labour Day in St. Kitts & Nevis. Not while Denzil Douglas is in the picture.
It’s more like May Day! May Day!! May Day!!!
