From the Diaspora…Nepotism, denials and guilt by association

Jul 27, 2014 News

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By Ralph Seeram
I am interviewing my boss’ son or daughter for a position in the organization. Sure they are qualified for the job, so do the other candidates, but I must remember who signs my paycheck and controls my upward mobility in the organization.
Besides they must have discussed this with daddy before coming for the interview, so if daddy is aware they are applying for the position, he must have some expectations. Besides, who am I to deny the boss’ kids a promotion?
Mr. Khurshid Sattaur, Commissioner General of the GRA, wrote a long letter in defence of the GRA employing five of his relatives, three of his children, a nephew and a niece. Mr. Sattaur should have kept quiet instead of delving into a long rambling if not threatening defense justifying the employment of five relatives at the GRA.
First of all, NEPOTISM is NEPOTISM. You can’t explain it away; call it any other name it is still nepotism. You have five of your relatives working for you at taxpayers’ expense. That is NEPOTISM. It’s not a question of whether they are qualified for the job or not.
In any jurisdiction here in the United States, as a public servant he would have been FIRED. The least sign of impropriety would have been enough to have him fired. He would not have been afforded any space in any newspaper for his foolish defense. He talks of his children being endangered because their high salary has been exposed. I did not know public servants’ salaries paid by Guyanese taxpayers are supposed to be secret.
Then he delves into veiled threats of legal action and what some may consider implied blackmail. Part of his letter reads “…if anything detrimental befalls my children… I do not want to reveal anything I know of this Honorable person’s WORTH (Joseph Harmon) … (he) can pay any damage the court will be asked to award.”
What arrogance! What he is essentially saying is, “You exposed my children’s salaries so they could be attacked by criminals, and if this happens, as Tax Chief I know from your income tax returns you submitted to my department, I know what you are worth.
This is the kind of arrogance that has been emanating from this administration. Sattaur accused Harmon of …choosing to gain political mileage.
When it comes to cheap political mileage, the PPP has a monopoly on it. This week the PPP propaganda machine was busy accusing APNU leader David Granger of associating with criminals, all because at a public forum someone took a photograph of him with a criminal (who was killed in an attempted robbery) in the background.
Talk of “pot calling kettle black”. Now it’s guilt by association. So let me see, if I take a picture with Clement Rohee, does that make me dumb and stupid? Taking a picture with Priya Manickchand does not make me ill mannered, uncouth and rude? Taking a picture with Bharrat Jagdeo (incidentally I did) does that make me a cuss down artist.
I suppose if I take a picture with Roger Luncheon, that makes me a master of double speak and subterfuge. What if I take a picture with Carol Sooba?  Well I am not going there. Suffice to say I have been told by female admirers that I am a handsome guy. You get the point.
This week also we heard of the opposition pressing for criminal charges against Finance Minister Singh. There has been back and forth about the interpretation of the constitution giving him the right to spend taxpayers’ dollars without Parliamentary approval.
Cutting out all the legalese and adopting a commonsense approach, if you ask parliament to spend money on a project and Parliament says no, but you still spent it, why bring it to Parliament anyway? What the Finance Minister is saying is he can spend taxpayers’ millions or in this case, billions of dollars, which way he wants and to hell with Parliament.
This is the kind of arrogance emanating from this PPP administration. I certainly don’t think that was the spirit of the Constitution, giving Singh authority to spend taxpayers’ dollars as he liked. Here again if he was in a US jurisdiction he would have found himself in prison garbs, and he can still face prison time if the PPP loses power.
There are many in the PPP hoping that the PPP retains power come next election, if not many face prison time for the way they spend taxpayers’ money – as if it were their personal fortunes.
Then you have Mr. sue me Nandlall running “interference” to the courts to justify this behavior. He might be buying time for these illegalities, but the day of reckoning will surely come.
Ralph Seeram can be reach at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook.

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