I have never been a politicized professional

Jun 11, 2016 Features / Columnists, Letters

Dear Editor,
There is no doubt in my mind, fortified by wide, relevant and substantial experience, that “meritocracy is the way to go” (ref. GHK Lall’s letter in SN of 8/6/16) if we are to achieve unduly unbiased, effective recruitment and promotion of staff without playing the tit-for tat or revolving political/racial games which many of the commentators and critics of my earlier letter against “social engineering” of this nodal Human Resource Management function seem to be advocating.
I have never had nor do I now have any interest in any “PR or cover-up” for any Government or private sector organization here in Guyana (as was implied by some critics) nor for any other entities in the many countries in which I have lived and worked. I am very proud of the non-political, non-racial and other non-discriminatory ways in which I have practiced my professions first as a school-teacher and then as a Human Resource Management practitioner.
I am fully aware of what appears like gross political/ethnic and other discrimination during all the regimes in Guyana’s 50 years of existence. For example, I travel a lot into and out of Guyana, the USA and Canada and every time I do so I am struck by the mono-ethnicity of the airport officials at Timehri vis-à-vis the multi-ethnicity of their counterparts in New York and Toronto. Incidentally, what is also quite noticeable is the inefficiency and deficient courtesy of the Timehri staff in stark contrast with the courtesy and efficiency of their American and Canadian counterparts.
I can relate several examples but last Monday’s when I arrived at Timehri from NY will suffice: For years I have been using the Immigration line marked for VIP’s and Diplomats without any objection from anyone; however, on this first and only occasion I was accosted by a rudely officious female officer standing at the top of the line with a stern comment: “You are in the wrong line” to which my response with a respectful smile was that I always used that line and if she could please tell me why she thought that I was “in the wrong line”; her brusque, brutish response was “I said you are in the wrong line” and she peremptorily wave-motioned me to the other lines! There was no one behind me and the other lines were already quite long!! …I did not make a fuss but meekly moved as she ordered because I was particularly keen to get out quickly on this occasion as I had two successive official appointments for that morning with very senior officers at NCN and GRA, at their requests!
Now back to the issue at hand: What is obviously clear is the fact that Guyana Governments of all stripes have had ample opportunities to remedy the perceived racial imbalances but all unfortunately failed. I therefore repeat my professional conviction that the best approach to the ethnic and effectiveness factors is the focus on “meritocracy’ as mentioned by the respected GHK or “competency” as I have been advocating, without losing sight altogether of the need for diversity and equity, all things being equal.
There has also been much talk about the so-called ‘level playing field’; to me that is a myth or at best wishful thinking! Like my Guyanese brothers and sisters, I am painfully aware of the same ‘level playing field’ concept being compromised by several extraneous factors, both human and physical. As a dedicated farmer as well as an avid sportsman, I can relate several instances where ‘the field’ is as level as a billiard table but compromised by many variables like soil structure, perimeter drainage, moisture, other environmental factors and contextual imperatives that over-ride any advantage attributable to the ‘leveling’ factor be it sports or farming or recruitment or promotion or other HR management practices. In the final analysis it is the knowledge, the skill, the experience, the competence of the relative players that matter most.
Nowrang Persaud

1 thoughts on “I have never been a politicized professional”

Surujpaul Rampersaud June 11, 2016 at 11:08 am

Uncle Nowrang, thanks for sharing your experience. The problem with many of fellow Guyanese is they never appreciate an honest opinion of a situation. It seems that they prefer to live in a world of denial. As far a public relations go there is a urgent need to train train personnel who interface with the public. On my visits to Guyana, I have met people who are very professional in the way they conduct business. I sometime ask for a rating card so that I can do a review of my experience only to be told there is none.
Your views on ” meritocracy” are very clear but setting the infrastructure for its implementation is not the end all. We need also a body to which people who think their rights have been violated, can appeal. This body can be like EOE in the US.