From the Diaspora…CHANGE OR EXCHANGE? HEADS ROLLING AND SUBTLE WITCH HUNTING?

Jun 07, 2015 News

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By Ralph Seeram
Three days after the current Cabinet of Ministers was announced, I gave the Editor of this newspaper three names that I felt will not last a year in Cabinet. How can I make such a prediction, when these people actually had not assumed office as yet.
It has to do with human nature; it has to do sometimes how you treat people or family as you pass through this life.
People will be waiting for that moment when you move up to bring you down, or “kick you to the curb” when you are down.
So it was when the names of Ministers were announced, people began sending me information on some of the Ministers. That is something most journalists experience when readers feel they can trust or confide in them. I had one relative of a Minister divulging “family secrets”.
One of the names that I mentioned is Simona Broomes. As soon as her name was announced I got this phone call from Guyana. Thanks to Facebook these calls are free. In the course of this conversation words like “pig”, “disrespectful”, “bully”, insulting and other adjectives dominated.
Most people must have read of Broomes exploits in TIP (Trafficking in Persons) in the goldfields located in the jungle areas. Probably her attitude or disposition or aggression were suited for the “rough and tumble” jungle where there is little law to go by. Rescued some women she did. Whatever little law was there she got in confrontation even with the police. Never the less the woman has been praised by international bodies for her work, which personally I think has been overrated.
Then we have Ann Greene, whose job was essentially trying to protect children from sexual abuse etc. Simona Broomes did not care or respect much for Ann Greene’s department. She actually said so. So here is the real conflict with these two.
Ann Greene has to act within the law every step of the way and is answerable to superiors. Unlike Broomes, she cannot use the “law of the jungle” method.
I observe the volume of people flocking to her department, mainly parents whose children may have been taken away from them. I came away with the conclusion that the case load per social worker was much more than they handle. To make a long story short, they had more work and less money to do it.
So if you believe that Ann Greene was sent on leave because of the “get to know you meeting” you got to be naïve.
Her faith was decided the moment Broomes became her boss—two different personalities with the same objective.
Officially Ann Greene is on leave, this administration would be making a grave mistake if they fire her. You have to wonder what it would do to the morale of those other non political professionals in the public service.
While we are on this issue of professionals and public servants, quite a few heads have been rolling this week. I am the first to agree that when a new government comes in power, it needs its “own people” in certain key positions.
This APNU/AFC coalition seems to be speaking “from both sides of its mouth”. First there will be no witch hunting, but subtle suggestions that resignations are welcome. One way or the other this new government is going to weed out people they perceive as PPP supporters, despite statements to the contrary.
The problem is especially so in government-owned media entities, employees write to please the person who signs the pay checks, which would be the government of the day.  It has always been that way, so when Nagamootoo comes telling you no one will be witch hunted, you know it is a load of crap.
GINA and NCN will have to slant their reporting to suit the government of the day, which in this case happened to be the APNU/AFC government.
So what you getting, folks, is not CHANGE in these government entities, you are getting an EXCHANGE. The senior people of these government owned media outlets are going to be appointed by the government for their political allegiance and not for competency. Don’t look out for advertisement for these positions.
Those below management will now have to write “singing the praises of the new government”. It has always been that way.
I recall “back in the day” as a reporter, the then Chronicle was the mouthpiece of the PNC government, the independently owned Guyana Graphic which I was working for was taken over by the government and merged into the Chronicle.
Moving to the then Government owned Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) the news tended to be a bit more balanced, but deep down you know you have to do some self censorship, if your news items would see the light of day.
The pendulum has swung again and GINA, the CHRONICLE, the national owned Television and Radio Station, will now engage in a different form of propaganda and self censorship. Now they have to sing the “praises of the APNU/AFC government”. Ironically soon you will hear the PPP complaining about GINA and government owned media coverage of the news.
Yes folks it’s all an EXCHANGE not CHANGE, but have no fear, Kaieteur News is here to give you balanced and aggressive coverage, regardless of who is in power.
I want to say thanks to all my readers who wished me speedy recovery on my surgery last week. A blood clot blocked one of my arteries triggering a heart attack. Fortunately I was in the vicinity of a hospital, within half  hour of my pain I was out of surgery, clot cleared and so forth,  remarkable time frame saving my heart from damage.
Appreciate today folks, never know what tomorrow holds.
Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: [email protected] and Facebook

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