These are the people I refuse to live with

Sep 26, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

You can’t help feeling sorry for the new government. It must be merciless endurance in psychological torture to know that it has to live with PPP placements in the most strategic areas of the public sector. Some contracts are up and it was good riddance. The name Hydar Ally comes up. Since 1992 to July 2015, he has been a Permanent Secretary in various ministries. During that time the same Ally sat in the PPP Central Committee and its Executive Committee where he is the Secretary.
Thankfully, the new administration does not have to bear up with Nirmal Rekha, Secretary to the Treasury. He cannot be found. Either he ran away to Patrice Lumumba School in Moscow where he was a classmate and intimate friend of Bharrat Jagdeo, or he may be held up in Jagdeo’s palace in Pradoville 2.
Sometimes journalists do get it wrong and I may be wrong on the following; I was told that Kwame Mc Coy sold his house and is living in Pradoville 2. Mr. Rekha has been investigated by the Guyana Revenue Authority, where he was found to have signed more than fifty bogus duty free letters. He was never charged. He was never demoted. It is time for a criminal investigation into Nirmal Rekha.
Here are some of the appointees the PPP nurtured in the wide public sector that were I to advise the President, I would tell him that they must go either to Cove and John or Timbuktu or Monkey Mountain, but go they must. First on the list is Khurshid Sattaur. This country should not allow the Granger/Nagamootoo regime to hide the extent of tax evasion under the tenure of Sattaur.
The super-wealthy of Guyana paid symbolic taxes. Sattaur has to show the forensic auditors the books. The books will reveal that a multi-billion dollar business entity that bought planes from the United States never submitted property tax. Before 2014, once you had over seven million dollars in assets you had to submit property tax forms.
Next is Mark Ramotar. Never had the Chronicle become the dung it became under Ramotar. I lived under President Burnham and his control of the Chronicle was tight. Such was the nature of Burnham’s power but it was intellectual and sophisticated control not the gutter journalism that accompanied Ramotar’s editorship. To think that the APNU+AFC Government could retain this person and pay him a huge salary is simply beyond understanding.
Next is Mahender Sharma of the Guyana Energy Agency. He is a politician. He was on the PPP list of candidates. There is Lisa Ramotar, the CEO of the Gold Board. She is the daughter of Donald Ramotar. I understand that both Sharma and Ramotar have contracts that the Government does not want to terminate. I am offering my view on their retention by the state, an opinion to which I am entitled.
Next is Olato Sam. He was a PPP supporter at the University of Guyana. Then Jagdeo ensured his transfer to the Ministry of Education as Chief Education Officer (CEO). I think there are few countries in the world where the Chairman of a Parent/Teacher Association can pull a gun on a group of social activists in front of school children in the school compound and the CEO didn’t even look at the group’s complaint.
Mr. Sam should have been fired when the new government came into being. I hope his contract is not renewed
Gobind Ganga of the Bank of Guyana should not be retained. I have had endless complaints from staff members against Ganga over a period of fifteen years. By way of this column, I would be grateful if Ganga can kindly offer some details on his qualifications that I am interested in.
Just two details in fact – the name of the University he obtained his doctorate from and the year. Those are harmless questions based on my curiosity and nothing else. There is absolutely no other reason but curiosity.
Shalimar Hack, the DPP cannot be dismissed. Hers is a constitutional post and her removal can only come from the Judicial Service Commission. But I think it is fair comment on a matter of public interest to say that she did not enjoy the confidence of the combined opposition, and also a substantial section of the Guyanese population for years prior to 2015.
I stress that I am entitled to offer an opinion on an office holder as important as the DPP and that opinion is that she does not inspire confidence. Finally, Police Commander, Clifton Hicken. Maybe Lindeners may want to comment on him.

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