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…TCI urges Ali-led govt to halt firing of public servants
Several staff attached to the Ministry of the Presidency have been asked to resign by the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government just days after President Irfaan Ali assured Guyanese that public servants have “nothing to fear” under his administration.
According to reports from HGP Nightly News, Permanent secretary in the Ministry of the Presidency, Abena Moore has instructed several staff attached to the Ministry of the Presidency to resign. Moore has stated that she was only acting based on instruction.
It has also been reported that some staff with existing contracts are refusing to resign and are threatening Court action. They’ve stated that their contracts are with the Ministry of the Presidency and not the government.
The Department of Energy comes under the Ministry of the Presidency was well as the Department of Environment, the Office of Climate Change, and the Ministries of Social Cohesion and Citizenship, and others.
On the day he took his Oath of Office, August 2, 2020, in the presence of the media, the President promised: “We’re building a country for every Guyanese. There is no need for fear, there is no need for distinction based on political persuasion.”
On another occasion, Ali had told media operatives outside the Police Headquarters in Eve Leary: “We are not in a witch-hunting exercise, let me make that very clear. We are going to act professionally.”
A little earlier, in June 2020, now Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo stated that those in the public sector have no need to worry about their job security as his party will not be engaged in any “witch-hunting” exercise.
“They [APNU+AFC] are spreading fears in their minds…about losing their jobs but ordinary people don’t have to worry about the PPP, whether they voted for APNU/AFC or not, because we take care of all Guyanese,” Jagdeo told supporters gathered outside the party’s headquarters on Robb Street.
Getting word of the media reports, The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) sent out a release to the media on Tuesday evening making note its none support and disfavor that the new Administration had acted to terminate the employment of individuals, especially during a health crisis.
“It is understood that true political appointees constitute a very small percentage of the Government work force. Career civil servants and contract employees make up the vast majority of the workers and should be allowed to remain in current positions without political interference,” the TCI stated, adding:
“Additionally, TCI respectfully requests that the Government complies with the contractual terms of the existing contracts. Given the global pandemic and the impact COVID-19 has had on the Guyanese economy, fairness and generosity should be extended to those who have served this country.”
Since assuming power, the PPP/C transition team has had engagements with the diplomatic corps, the private sector, heads of Permanent Secretaries of all Government Agencies, Heads of Department of the Ministry of the Presidency and key stakeholders of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF). Not much information has come out to the media about what these talks were about save to say that they circulated “areas of mutual interest”.
