CANU head told to take accumulated leave

Mar 02, 2017 News

-fmr. Army Chief to perform duties

Government has asked the head of the country’s premier illicit drug fighting agency, the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), to proceed on outstanding leave.
The Ministry of the Presidency said that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, explained that the move is in keeping with the administration’s zero tolerance approach on public officers refusing to take their annual leave and instead opting for payments.
“Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon has said that in line with Government’s policy to ensure that officers do not accumulate annual leave and in turn request pay in lieu of such, Mr. James Singh, Head of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), has been asked to proceed on leave effective (yesterday),” the Ministry clarified.
“This is the practice that we have embraced since we came into office and, therefore, Mr. Singh, who had some leave accumulated, has been asked to go on leave with effect from today and Major General Michael Atherly will be heading CANU.”
The ministry said that this has been communicated to the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, who is the person responsible for CANU.
“…But public officers have always been encouraged to take their leave and we want to discourage this practice of accumulating large amounts of leave and then asking for payment in lieu. So we are trying to ensure that all public officers get their leave during that year,” Minister Harmon said.
Major General (retd) Atherly was responsible for leading the review of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2014-2018. This review led to the development of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020, which was launched last December.
Atherly who was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on May 20, 1971, was appointed Chief of Staff in April 2000.

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