COLA Got the Teachers’ Back!

Geovannie Brackett

Teachers remained away from the classrooms today as the strike entered a third week. But this morning, COLA called a fiery press conference, standing room only at the Radisson’s VIP Room, to say that it has teachers’ back. Geovannie Brackett, the president of the socially active grassroots organization, says enough is enough because government has found money to pay for a host of things but has been unwilling to pay teachers the third tranche of their salary adjustment. 

Geovannie Brackett, President, COLA

“Enough is enough though my friends!  We have stood with the teachers from the very beginning.  Their cause is a good one.  This prime minister, in our view, has been bogus.  If you believe what he is saying then I think something is wrong with you.  The big words need fi stop.  Either you give we what we want or if you don’t give it any at all we wahn haftu find ways fi get yoh fu give it to we.  So you say you cannot pay the teachers, but you can pay John Saldivar’s sister to sit at home for a year and do nothing.  You cannot pay the teachers but you can replace a hundred thousand dollar vehicle.  You say you cannot pay our teachers but you can pay your brother millions in legal fees.  You say you cannot pay the teachers but you make sure that your law partner and law firm benefit from this stupid litigation with Ashcroft.  You say you cannot pay the teachers but your son and cronies at B.T.L. are reaping the benefits of our taxpayers dollars.  You say you cannot pay the teachers but you can write off twenty-five million dollars for B.T.L.   You say you cannot pay the teachers but you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on ad campaigns against the teachers.  You say you cannot pay the teachers but you spent hundreds of millions of Petrocaribe dollars just to ensure that you would win another term.  You say you cannot pay the teachers but you allow your ministers like Gaspar Vega to rape the Ministry of Natural Resources to make his own family and friends very wealthy.  Millions of dollars, where is it?  Mr. Barrow, it is not that you cannot pay the teachers, the reality is that your priorities are hopelessly skewed and you want to ensure that you and yours get theirs and to hell with the rest.  We are here to tell you that we will not continue business as usual.  We are here to tell you that business is now closed for the U.D.P. corruption. It is time for us to take a stand.”