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By Lincoln Lewis
Regardless of who is elected to the Executive branch of government, that government must function as the Government of the People. The people of Guyana are from diverse strains, including race and political persuasion. Diversity, according to the Constitution of Guyana, is protected from discrimination to the extent where society is expected to acknowledge, as per Article 21, “The source of the growth of social wealth and of the well-being of the people, and of each individual, is the labour of the people.” Note reference to “the people,” not a specific group or supporters of any party as some want to impose on society and expect us to accept.
Changing of the political guards does not mean workers have to fear being sent home having offered their service to the Government of Guyana under a different regime. The Public Sector has a regulatory and managerial role which public servants are expected to deliver within the laws, guided by policies and programmes. Theirs is a special role to conduct the State’s business on behalf of self and enable the private and cooperative sectors to perform their respective role in development. Ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of such service require knowledge and competency not party affiliation or racial identity. We cannot optimise the sector’s service when these workers are being made to feel they serve (d) at the behest of a political party not the people, subject to termination based on election results not misconduct or contract expiration.
International agencies have reported that at least 80 percent of our university graduates migrate. Our teachers are also leaving, along with artisans and semi-skilled workers for what is termed ‘greener pastures.’ Guyana has a human resources crisis, some call it brain drain. In this dire environment those who opt to remain and serve or return to serve should be allowed to. Whereas in Guyana scant regard is shown for these workers, other societies value gravitation towards this sector in preference for the economically more advantageous private sector. Employment in the public sector brings with it a level of sacrifice given that one receives less remuneration for a similar job in the private sector. However, continuity of service brings about security of tenure, institutional memory, and with requisite training and education better performance to serve the public.
State employees work for the people of Guyana, irrespective of the party in office. Government must respect and honour the dignity of their labour. This country does not have enough skills that in every election people have to be dismissed. Taking this approach not only threatens development and smooth continuity of service, but it means that we would be lifting out a significant population, hindering them from the opportunity to serve. We are also de-professionalising the public service. People who work in the service should see their job as security except if you are a political appointee, and even a political appointee could be retained in a position depending on the nature of the job.
We cannot build a professional public service, attract workers of quality, and have continuity of quality service if workers know that should the Executive change hands they are likely to lose their job. What this also does is create a compromised public sector where workers do not value the importance of adhering to rules, regulations, the constitution and laws but to political compliance in order to keep their jobs. This compromises transparency, breeds corruption and undermines the services the sector ought to perform. While penning this article news reached me that Carl Greenidge has been appointed Advisor on border affairs. Greenidge’s competency is unquestionable and Guyana will be best served with him having said portfolio. At the same time, it cannot be ignored where he held a leading political role in the previous administration; other workers who were employed by said administration, and without similar roles, were terminated. It is hard to convince society these terminations were not because those persons were employed by the coalition government and the PPP holds the view they owed their employment to solely political association, that they were square pegs in round holes.
The incumbent went down this road in 1992. In 2020 they are communicating they have not learnt, do not care and/or have no regard for the Oath they took to uphold the Constitution and Laws of Guyana “without fear or favour, affection or ill will.” We cannot continue like this. This nation has had enough of the political immaturity and vindictive management of the State by those who we pay, whether we voted for them or not, to look after our day-to-day welfare. When a party/group is elected to office that government must be held accountable to manage in the interest of all Guyanese whose lives, livelihood and future are in their hands. Citizens must not shirk from their civic duty to hold all governments to account to govern in the interest of all. Our lives are intertwined and what affects one invariably affects all.
