Gov’t chides opposition for derisive comments on hospitality workers

The government has chastised Opposition Member of Parliament Juretha Fernandes for her seemingly condescending and disdainful remarks relating to Guyanese working in the hospitality sector.

As the 2025 budget debates got underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Opposition MP Fernandes stated that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government’s job creation agenda sees Guyanese “washing hotel sheets or mopping hotel floors”.

However, this comment was met with outrage as the government MPs called out the narrow-minded perspective.

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy criticised this attempt to insult the country’s hospitality workers and paint them in an unprofessional light.

“I ask that the Honourable Member retract that statement,” Minister McCoy said.

He added, “Workers of all types of skills, talent and experience make up the Guyanese workforce, and they support the growth and development of our economy. Whether they work in the hotel industry, construction industry…are people who are deserving of our admiration and commendation.”

Further, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond said that these statements reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the Tourism sector and disregard for the average Guyanese.

In a statement issued on Friday, Minister Walrond said these remarks belittled the very hardworking, ordinary Guyanese citizens that the opposition claim to valiantly represent.

“The MP’s narrow and myopic perspective reflects a glaring lack of understanding of the immense value and multifaceted benefits of the hospitality sector. Even more troubling, she either remains oblivious or intentionally disingenuous in suggesting that Guyanese cannot afford to stay in local hotels,” the minister posited.

The minister noted that the hospitality sector encompasses a range of careers and every hotel built translates to hundreds of job opportunities for Guyanese.

For instance, at the Pegasus Hotel, all 19 department heads are Guyanese, with the sole exception of the General Manager. This hotel employs 215 individuals, all of whom are Guyanese.

At the Aiden Hotel, 9 out of 10 managerial roles are held by Guyanese, including the Deputy Manager, Housekeeping Manager, Food and Beverage Manager, Accountant Team, Sous Chef, and Captains. An impressive 92% of the hotel’s workforce is Guyanese.

“Her comments reek of elitism and echo the outdated, visionless policies of the PNC under its founder, Forbes Burnham, who infamously dismissed tourism as a viable sector, claiming it would ‘create a nation of waiters,’” the tourism minister lamented.

Similar statements were expressed by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues in her speech defending the budget.

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