The Ticking Time Bomb: Guyana Permanent Secretaries’ Perilous Dance with Corruption

Guyana’s Permanent Secretaries find themselves on the precipice of a moral abyss. The message is clear and urgent: your positions of power are not shields against accountability. The decisions you make today, especially those that perpetuate corruption, racial discrimination, and injustice, will have far-reaching and dire consequences. Make no mistake, you will be held personally responsible for these actions, facing the very real prospects of imprisonment, public shaming, ridicule, and sanctions by foreign governments. The protective umbrella of Bharrat Jagdeo and his ilk will not shelter you from the storm that is brewing.

The corridors of power in Guyana have long echoed with whispers of corruption, but a review of events, historical and current, have amplified these murmurs into a deafening roar. Let us begin by looking at the infamous cases of Kellawan Lall and Ashni Singh to see the culture of impunity that has festered at the highest levels of our government. Lall allegedly left a policeman crippled without facing justice, while Singh allegedlu repeatedly escaped prosecution after drunk-driving incidents which endangered lives and damaged property. These incidents were just the early symptoms of a systemic rot that threatens the very foundations of our democracy.

Perhaps the most egregious example of unchecked corruption is the case of Omar Shariff, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Presidency. Investigations revealed bank accounts swollen with allegedly between US$50 million and US$75 million, sums wildly incongruent with his public service salary. What has become of this case?

We must not forget the sacking of Emil McGarrell, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, for alleged irregular procurement practices and should serve as one reminder of the precarious nature of your positions. Similarly, the case of Sharon Hicks, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, caught in a sting operation accused of extortion, illustrates how quickly your reputations can be tarnished, even if legal consequences are avoided.

The implications of these corrupt practices extend far beyond our borders. The United States’ recent sanctions against the Mohamed family and Permanent Secretary Mae Thomas underscore the international community’s growing intolerance for such behavior. The global spotlight is intensifying, and the mechanisms of justice are tightening their grip.

To those Permanent Secretaries who still believe in the illusion of protection offered by the PPP, heed this warning: the façade will crumble. The preferential treatments and ill-gotten gains you enjoy today will become the evidence that condemns you tomorrow. Your complicity in corruption, money laundering, racial discrimination, and injustice will not go unpunished.

The time for choosing is now, Permanent Secretaries. Do you have the courage to push back on your corrupt ministers and uphold integrity, transparency, and justice in your duties, or will most of you continue down the perilous path of corruption? The stakes have never been higher, and history will judge you not by the power you wielded, but by the righteousness of your actions. Do not allow yourselves to become the scapegoats of a corrupt administration. Choose accountability, or face the inevitable and severe consequences that await. The clock is ticking, and the eyes of the nation – and the world – are upon you.