Dear Editor,
There is high tension at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, where members of staff have been complaining about and exposing the egregious acts that are ongoing at the Ministry, since August 2020.
I gather members of staff recently appealed to the Head of State, Mr. Ali, requesting his immediate intervention in the operations of the Ministry. A previous meeting held, at his request, with Former Minister of Public Service, Ms. Jennifer Westford, MP, and staff to address earlier grievances was fruitless. The staff are now calling on Mr. Ali to ACT NOW by removing Minister Vindhya Persaud and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Shannielle Hoosein-Outar.
The allegations made are grave and should be addressed since they hinge on discrimination, victimization, nepotism, and by-passing of qualified senior officers who have many years of service. Allegedly persons from a cultural group, closely associated with the Minister, are contracted, and paid handsomely for positions which they are both unqualified and inexperienced for. As a consequence, many competent and qualified staff have resigned, and others are threatening to leave.
Editor, I join with staffers from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and urge Mr. Ifraan Ali to avert this looming crisis at a Ministry which is critical to the well-being of all Guyanese, in particular the vulnerable segments of our population.
Yours sincerely,
Annette Ferguson
Member of Parliament
