GWI will continue to strive to offer a better service

Aug 06, 2008 Letters

Dear Editor,
It is with great reluctance that GWI replies to an inauthentic defamatory letter which was published in the Monday 28 July, 2008, issue of the Kaieteur newspaper. What is imperative to note is that GWI is mandated to distribute water to Guyana and not to promote gossip.

However, please permit us to respond to that “concerned citizen”.
There are a few things that we would like to clarify in order to annul the concerns of this citizen. This anonymous person wants to create an impression that GWI has no policies, procedures, no moral obligations and is accountable to no one.

Mr. Editor, while Mr. Karan Singh is the Chief Executive of GWI, he is accountable to the Board of Directors and the Minister of Housing and Water. GWI’s Board has several Sub-Committees that represent each department. Any staff member found in breach of any policies or procedures is free to request a hearing, whereby they are allowed to bring a representative and state their case.

What must be borne in mind is that during the Severn Trent era, there was a tragic breakdown of discipline at GWI; fraud and corruption was the order of the day. As a result, funding agencies suspended their funds because of GWI’s inability or reluctance to deal with indiscipline.

September 2007 saw the appointment of Mr. Karan Singh and also the appointment of a new Board of Directors, which is a “No Nonsense” Board. Several things began to unfold.

The disciplinary policy was revised and implemented. An Anti Fraud policy was also formulated and implemented.

The Department for International Development (DFID) even conducted an anti fraud seminar to give the Management of GWI insights into detecting and extinguishing frauds.

A new Governance Document was prepared and approved by GWI’s Board of Director’s and Management for implementation to tackle the phenomenon of corruption.

We at GWI have been trying to improve the services of this entity since the dawn of 2007 so that people like our “concerned citizen” can have a better service. We are sure that you are very familiar with the old saying that only those who live in a house know where it is leaking and so we at GWI know exactly what we are dealing with and what we have to do.

Further, the donor agencies are now satisfied with the progress we have made so far. We are receiving the necessary funding to improve operations.

We have no hold over those who want to leave – the grass always looks greener on the other side” and CSME is taking its toll not only on GWI but all entities within Guyana.

In the future Mr. Editor, we would like you to send us copies of letters received so that we can call in those with grievances to have them cordially resolved.

GWI Public Relations Department

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