The PPP / C is back to its old ways
Kaieteur News – The decision of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to terminate its General Manager’s contract signals a policy of administrative domination (MAD) in the public sector. The PPP / C in doing so has returned to its discredited policy of sacrificing professionals rather than politically favored people.
Nizam Hassan, the terminated employee, is one of the most respected individuals in the public sector. Prior to that, he was employed in the Ministry of Agriculture and was promoted to General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation. He was later appointed General Manager of the GRDB following the problems, which exploded after APNU + AFC conducted an audit of that organization.
According to newspaper reports, the audit uncovered irregularities in relation to the use of the Petro Caribe Fund, issuing promissory notes to interested parties and showing preference to one major rice exporter.
Criminal charges have been laid concerning not entering the ledger of some transactions. It was never clear whether the amounts involved were ever accounted for or whether the payments were simply linked to an accounting procedure. No one has yet been convicted of those charges filed by the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). In fact, most of the accused have been acquitted by the courts.
Most of the bigwigs that were part of the GRDB’s management during the period covered by the audit are now in a high position in the agricultural sector. Hassan hasn’t been that lucky; it has been sent packing.
When the PPP / C was in Opposition from 2015 to 2019, he seemed to have learned from his mistakes. He came to the office promising a more inclusive approach. But the PPP / C memory is short and now that it’s settled, the same old methods are being used.
The PPP / C’s idea of inclusive governance is to distribute jobs to select Opposition individuals and friends in the private sector. This is a luxury tactic rather than one aimed at inclusion. But no one should have expected better. As long as those with a penchant for being control freaks were participating in the PPP / C, the obsession with control was always going to be on the cards.
The PPP / C in this respect is no different from the APNU + AFC. No sooner had the World Bank agreed to provide major support to the education sector, APNU + AFC decided to re-designate its then Education Minister and appoint someone else. It was clear that the PNCR, the dominant party in APNU + AFC, wanted one of its candidates to manage this fund.
When the PPP / C came in, it announced that emphasis would be placed on agricultural research. The PPP / C said that when it came to power, it would emphasize improving genetic capacity and farming research and developing a new strain for paddy. The PPP / C had not previously announced plans to promote agricultural research and development, including evidence-based extension services and in the field of feed production, the decision was made to remove the current Director of NAREI and replace that person with someone who has done nothing to hide his connection with the PPP / C.
A lot of money is likely to be poured into agricultural research and extension services. And this is why transparent accounting systems are needed to ensure that there is accountability for the amounts used in research and extension services.
With the current decision to end Mr Hassan’s services, the PPP / C is returning to its old ways. He prefers reliable lieutenants than professional public servants.
The media has been speculating that the decision to end the services of the highly qualified Hassan must end the problems, which have arisen in relation to Panama’s payment for rice. But this excuse is like a filter: it’s full of holes.
The Panama Treaty is a red herring. Hassan cannot be held responsible for that agreement. A Memorandum was inserted back in 2014 for the sale of rice to Panama. The deal later caused consolation in Panama with rice producers there complaining about buying rice from Guyana. The outgoing General Manager of the GRDB cannot therefore be responsible for any such agreement and the debt, which is owed to local rice farmers.
No one should fall for that excuse. The most likely reason why Hassan was sent packing is the same reason Dr. Homenaught home: the PPP / C is back to its old ways.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.)