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ABUSE OF AUTHORITY AT THE GUYANA SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE
Dear Editor;
Regarding the above subject, it would be quite clear to everyone that read my previous letters that something is indeed going on at the institution in question. I have also read several letters written by Ms. Amanda B which have some obvious claims that also need to be addressed. As was recorded in her last letter she is saving her pen until there is a response from me or from the authorities on the subject matter. The authorities are probably still trying to find a sensible response which one can clearly see that it’s a mammoth of a task since the information put forward can be verified with pin point accuracy.
In the not so distant past, former Minister of Agriculture, Minister Ramsammy rose to the defense of the authorities regarding certain events that would have taken place even though he was hardly there and was totally naïve; he just had to make a political statement. No one at this point wants to make a statement in defense since the authorities themselves know that several persons can be implicated because of the role they have all played. The roles stemmed from Ministers to Permanent Secretary, to Deputy Permanent Secretary, to Board Chairman to Chief Executive Officer, to Director of Administration.
I understand that great tension and fear are at the Guyana School of Agriculture among the top brass since they know the information is true and someone may call them in for questioning soon. Also I understand that the man who walked around flexing his muscles (showing his power) is walking around like a lamb trying to be nice to staff and win their favor – too late.
He is even trying to garner support from the senior staff that he constantly treats as dogs. The senior staff is just as qualified but because of political affiliation he was given certain positions and some positions were even created for him to boost his income and support. In fact, according to my information, one senior staff that was not given the opportunity to renew his contract and another currently on the job possess Master’s Degrees which make them more qualified yet they are under his supervision and are obviously being paid less. Mr. Editor, this makes the situation very simple to analyze; it is quite clear that all one needs to do in order to get a fantastic salary is to align yourself to a certain political party.
Gone are the days at the Guyana School of Agriculture and many other agencies when persons are employed and remunerated based on their qualifications and experience. It is quite clear then why persons who have certificates and diplomas from the same institution and others that once gained them a position in lower and middle management are working as laborers. That explains it; if someone with a Master’s Degree can be paid less than one with a Degree because of political affiliation that means that too is possible.
The institution is in severe financial crisis and it is simply because billions have been invested (come on, millions over years equals billions) over the years and very little profits have been made. Mr. Editor, I was informed that if this situation continues for another two years it will be very strenuous on even the Government to maintain the institution. Even if this man of many positions is removed it will take a mammoth effort to even get the farm to a state of productivity.
Mr. Editor, things are that bad but some in authority, including the facilitator are playing it safe since these things do not affect their pay check and their wonderful gratuity, their boats are not being rocked while the staff that earn far less money don’t only have rocking boats but their boats also have holes.
Very soon the storms will take away some staff since there will be a massive cut in staff and also for some there will be the generation of plots to dismiss some staff even though they will be on contractual duties since in the contract they are forced to sign to a clause that says management can choose to terminate your contract at any time and give you payment one month in lieu. Again Mr. Editor, the information is overwhelming and the author of this letter is aware that all of the information cannot be published for several reasons. I am hereby calling on Minister Joseph Harmon to address this issue.
Paul John
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