Dear Editor,
As a true patriot of Guyana and an ardent supporter of the Government, I feel compelled to inform the Coalition Government of a grave and consequential mistake it has made since assuming office in 2015.
The mistake I refer to was the appointment of the Public Relations Officer of the Mayor and City Council, Royston King, to the position of Town Clerk in the municipality of Georgetown back in 2015, not long after coming into office.
In the first instance, the minister who issued a letter of appointment to King, which commenced on July 14, 2015, should have been aware that King did not have the requisite qualifications for the job, which necessitate that the candidate be legally trained. He is neither qualified nor experienced in public administration. His qualifications are strictly in the realm of communications, which was required for his job as Public Relations Officer.
Secondly, it was public knowledge that the foregoing mayor had taken pains to write copiously, and to voice — every opportunity he had — about the unsuitability of the gentlemen to continue working as the Public Relations Officer of the Council, let alone to ever be promoted to the position of Town Clerk. The archives of the Ministry of Communities and the Georgetown Municipality must be overflowing with such letters, in which the former Mayor described the current Town Clerk as being indolent, incompetent, and lacking in moral standards.
So why were these copious missives not taken into consideration when the appointment was being considered?
Thirdly, one would have to ask why corrective actions or disciplinary measures were not taken since July 2015, when the current Town Clerk went over the edge. Why was there no insistence that audits be conducted at the Georgetown Municipality each year? Why, when contracts were consistently being awarded without a bidding process being undertaken, did no one ensure that Tender Board rules were adhered to? Why — when grand luxury trips were being undertaken around the world at significant costs to the citizenry and without the Council’s prior knowledge or permission — were checks and balances not put in place?
Now that everything is falling apart, there seems to be some concerns being expressed. Workers are being paid late each month, and their statutory deductions are being withheld, No problem! The animals at the Abattoir are being slaughtered inhumanely, No problem! The Constabulary ranks are committing statutory rape on juveniles and the Town Clerk takes his own sweet time to report it to the Police and Child Protection Agency. No Problem! Contracts worth more than $100 million are awarded to clean the Cemetery without being tendered. No problem!
Should we wait to close the stable door after the horse has bolted?
Sincerely,
Nadine Jerrick
