AFC, PNC blast Ramotar’s polygraph statement

Aug 20, 2009 News

“(Donald) Ramotar must be in another world,” according to the Leader of the Main Opposition Robert Corbin yesterday in an invited comment, when he lashed out at a statement made by the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Donald Ramotar, who had asked, “Where in the world are Ministers subjected to Polygraph testing?”
Corbin further posed a question asking, which other country in the world subjects everyone else (Government Officials) to polygraph testing and ignore its cabinet?
The PNCR Leader said that he firmly believes that any, if not all statements made by members of the PPP, are to distract the public from the Government’s involvement with the drug trade.
Meanwhile, Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman Khemraj Ramjatan, was also critical of Ramotar’s statement saying that other Ministers in the world have integrity; using words such as ‘frank’ and ‘truthful’ to describe Government Ministers outside of Guyana.
It is his opinion that Guyana is a peculiar place in that “our Government Ministers are liars”, adding that the current Government Ministers do not appreciate the sanctity of the oath they took when entering office.
He went on further to state that the Government is acting discriminatorily with, “Their wanting to only test senior officials, and not Government Ministers.”
Ramjatan also attacked President Bharrat Jagdeo’s character using what he called his false marriage as an example. “…..the President led us to believe that he was legally married when he was not.”
On August 6 last, Dr Roger Luncheon announced that polygraph testing would be institutionalised in Guyana. He said that the testing would be extended to the operational arm of the State as well as to Government Agencies.
However, Government Ministers and Permanent Secretaries would not be subjected to polygraphs.
When asked of the PNCR’s opinion to the announcements and the party’s take on the policymakers not being subjected to the testing, PNCR Chief Whip Lance Carberry had divided the subject of the matter into two principles, pointing out firstly to the fact that polygraph testing has never before been considered as a requirement of employment in any capacity.
“Polygraph testing was never a condition of employment for any of the people in the public service.”
He added that if it should be introduced, an agreement with the representatives of those workers should be met. “……and therefore if you are going to introduce it you should be introducing it with the agreement of the representatives of those workers.”
Carberry’s second principle asked, why those in the higher echelons of Government should be exempted from the testing, seeing as they have nothing to hide?
Highlighting that the testing is in place to determine the suitability of the person to the position he or she holds, and that in keeping with the Government’s insistence that the employees are truthful in all that he or she does, he said that the government and its officials should have nothing to fear.
“If you are going to apply polygraph testing as a means of determining the suitability of people there is absolutely no reason why you should be exempting Permanent Secretaries, the Director General of the GRA, and Ministers of the Government.”
Carberry at the time had said, “…if you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear”.
Ramotar in response had pointed out that if Carberry was to assess the areas under scrutiny then he would have recognised that it was mostly enforcers and regulators that are being tested to ensure integrity.

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AFC, PNC blast Ramotar’s polygraph statement

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