Jagdeo’s long time associate clarifies

Jun 18, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

Reluctantly, I am compelled to respond to comments made by the Honorable Minister Harmon at his press conference yesterday, that the five-year Strategic Plan which I prepared for the then Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security has been deemed ‘useless’ by the current Minister of Social Protection.
To set the record straight, I take a lot of pride in my professional work and in all modesty the significant contributions I have made to the development of this country. Those who know of my work and the diligence and commitment that I applied to every task that I undertook know very well that it was not done in the interest of the People Progressive/Civic Government but in the interest of Guyana. My litmus test has always been ‘will this benefit Guyana’?
It is in this context that I find the statement of the Honorable Minister very disappointing and painful.
Now, to the issue at hand. I was contracted in 2012 to complete a five year Strategic Plan for the then Ministry of Labour, Human Services & Social Security. In completing this document, I worked with a high level team appointed by former Minister Webster who provided insights and guided the process of the elaboration of the Strategic Plan within a specified terms of reference that was also signed off by the Inter-American Development bank (IDB) and UNICEF.
As has always been my practice of ensuring ownership by stakeholders, I met the high level working team on a regular basis as we discussed the objectives, analysis, data issues and monitoring and evaluation challenges of the Ministry.
Upon the completion of the first draft of the document, a public consultation was held at the Convention Center which further drilled down the document and provided useful feedback in enriching its substance. I have records of the feedback that was generated through the public consultations and written comments from UNICEF, Childlink and the Women Affairs Bureau of the Ministry. To the extent possible, all these were incorporated into the final draft document which was submitted to the Ministry. At no point since the final document was submitted did I receive any adverse comments about the content and/or substance of this document. Indeed, I have been pushing for the final payment due to me as the report was submitted quite some time ago which regrettably has not yet been received.
I was therefore shocked to hear Honorable Minister Harmon declare in yesterday’s press briefing about the uselessness of a document that I know for a fact is being used in the Ministry of Social Protection. Of course, while I respect the fact that the current administration may have a different vision to develop the social sector, it is unfair to say that my work was ‘useless’. In this age of technology, it is so easy to impugn the character of people. Therefore, to make such a declaration without any supporting evidence or reasons as to why the document is useless is not fair to me and to wait after all this time before such a declaration is made is not acceptable. Interestingly, content from this document was used by former Minister Webster as part of her plan to revamp the social sector ministry in her 2014 budget contributions.
It now leaves me to wonder if the headlines would have read differently if I were not a ‘long time close associate of former President Jagdeo’. For the purposes of transparency, I would be appreciative if the government would grant me approval to share the draft final document along with the feedback and all other written inputs. Alternatively, I would implore the Ministry of Social Protection to do same and I will be happy to provide any information on this document that they may not have so that the public may draw their own conclusions.
Coby Frimpong

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