YOU ARE FIRED! YOU ARE HIRED!

Aug 17, 2015 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There was a first wave of firings within the Public Sector. There is now a second wave.
There will be other waves. Some will be let go with the same brutality and harshness that characterized some of the dismissals in both of the first two waves.
There was a principle enunciated that any person who was part of a party list could not be part of the Public Service. This has not been consistently applied because there are persons who were on the list of political parties that are still in the employ of the government.
But this principle cannot only be applied in a one-sided manner. It has to be applied across-the-board. It also has to apply to the APNU+AFC coalition. If there are persons from those parties that were part of the List of Candidates for the coalition, then those persons cannot be employed in Public Service positions. They can be Ministers; they can be Advisers but surely they cannot be appointed as public officials if the principle is to be universally applicable.
There is lesson in all of this. Security of tenure is a myth. Those who may feel secure today can be uprooted under the pretext that there has to be an investigation into their work or that they need to take their annual leave. Either way they have to proceed on leave.
If someone is sent on administrative leave to facilitate an investigation, the person has a right during the course of the investigation to defend himself or herself against any allegation made during the course of the investigation. At the end of the inquiry, the person has a right to be allowed to respond to the findings of that investigation. The public also has a right to know about the findings and to be assured that due process has taken place.
The Registrar of the Land Registry was sent on administrative leave. She is not going to return from that leave because someone else has been appointed to her position.
Was there an investigation into the operations of the Land Registry? During the course of this investigation was the person who was sent on administrative leave afforded the opportunity to respond to any allegations that may have been made about her administration of the Land Registry?
After the investigation would have been complete, was she afforded the opportunity to see the findings of the investigation and to respond? This is the basis of due process and it is hoped that the government can indicate whether due process was followed in this instance. Not that anyone expects the media to ask them.
The Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority has proceeded on annual leave. No one knows for sure whether he will be coming back. Many people feel that he will not be coming back.
There are many persons out there who are looking to replace some of the incumbent office holders. In other words, they would like to obtain these persons’ jobs. Who would not like to be catapulted into a position of authority?
There are persons who may feel that they are sitting comfortably in public office. Some of those sent off felt the same. But they must not be so certain about what the future can bring because who knows there may be persons who may be understudying them so as to replace them. No sooner does the understudy “learn the ropes” of the job, the incumbent can be sent packing. This happens in all transitions. Persons are placed to understudy others and no sooner do they learn the rudiments of the job, the person they are understudying is fired.
In principle, no new office holder should accept a job where the person he or she is replacing was not given due process. Professionals should take such a stand and not accept new positions where there is evidence of arbitrary dismissals. It is the best way to prevent arbitrariness from enveloping the government. The wrong that was done to a predecessor may also be done to the successor.
Office holders should also be careful in teaching others their jobs because you do not know whether the person you are mentoring will replace you.
This is why also if you are an incumbent you have to be careful how you are teaching newcomers your job. They may be the ones to snatch your position.

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YOU ARE FIRED! YOU ARE HIRED!

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