The pace at which the Irfaan Ali government has been able to identify political appointees in the government system is mindboggling. Even the pace at which the special team comprising Christopher Ram and Kit Nascimento, has been able to identify the shortcomings in more than 30 Government agencies and departments is record-breaking.
As for the suspected political appointees, Permanent Secretaries in the government Ministries even without being requested, began asking people who were supporters of the Granger government or even believed to be against the People’s Progressive Party to tender their resignation.
Indeed, those who knew that they were public servants refused. The government must find another way to get rid of them and it will even if it means leaving everything to the court.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, it sacked some 50 Community Development Council workers. These were people at the bottom of the learning scale. They were also perceived to be political appointees.
The resort to the court is because the government knows that court cases could take years. In that time, the litigant who may not have the resources to live a good life, would be forced to the level of a mendicant.
And the government is not opposed to seeing its opponents walking the streets. Most people in the government get a perverse pleasure at the suffering of others. Perhaps this trait is rooted in the psyche of the new government.
The pace at which it is shedding skilled people in a country that has a radical skills shortage leaves one to wonder whether the government is keen to perpetuate mediocrity.
This government also has a penchant for embracing criminals. Lionel Wordsworth who was once a senior operative at the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority was relieved of his duty for corrupt practices. The investigator who made the discovery was immediately relieved of his duty. He was punished for exposing a PPP official. Nothing came of that issue save for the fact that Wordsworth went home. He is back. The PPP brought him back immediately it acceded to office.
To support the fact that the government embraces criminal activity, the case of Wordsworth wife must be noted. She was employed at Guyoil and was paid a salary of $45,000 per month. She managed to buy a $60 million house from John Willems. The property is located on Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park.
This issue was taken to Bharrat Jagdeo who promised to investigate. No sooner than the reporter turned his back than Jagdeo laughed out loud. The late Khurshid Sattaur was also approached. No one did anything. Whatever corrupt practice that existed was allowed to prosper.
Jason Abdullah, who served six months in prison for an assault on Freddie Kissoon, is now heading the Press and Publicity Unit in Office of the President.
The Region One Chairman against whom a sexual assault allegation was made, by a young man, is comfortably in place to continue his life.
President Irfaan Ali is the most senior political officer in the land but he was before the courts on fraud charges. He managed to stave off prosecution until he acceded to office. Once in office, the constitution stipulates that no charge could be continued against him. He got a clean slate.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall was before the courts on a charge of larceny of Government property. Prosecution was delayed. In fact, he was called on to lead a defence. Nothing happened and today he is the leading lawmaker in the land.
What makes the matter almost unnoticeable is the fact that the mainstream media appear to have a moratorium on the political opposition. Opposition voices are somewhat silenced.
Then there are the instances of ordinary Ministers reversing statements by the president. Indeed, the trend of secrecy was always there. The President had announced that his would be a tenure of transparency. Now the Minister of Health is saying that the Ministers would determine whether they want to be transparent.
The daily COVID-19 video updates are no more. There are the escalating COVID cases in Guyana.
Since the PPP took office COVID cases have skyrocketed. There have been some 200 in two weeks and the number keeps rising.
Government Ministers are now testing positive for COVID-19 to the extent that all of them are being asked to work from home. The pace with which they rushed to visit locations that house supporters of the opposition has been halted.
But from their offices they can still demonstrate how vindictive they can be against poor non-supporters.
