It’s called accountability, Peeping Tom

May 11, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Some 2 weeks ago, Peeping Tom expressed the truism that Guyana cannot develop without professional skills, noting simplistically at the same time that Guyana’s underdevelopment has been about its failure to retain skilled personnel.
Peeping Tom [KN, 24 April 2018] was commenting on the charges brought against former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and former CEO of NICIL, Winston Brassington, describing the charges of misconduct in public office as “used mainly for head-chopping purposes”.
The PPPC answered the laying of those charges by purporting to bring similar charges against standing government ministers – charges that were ultimately disallowed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Peeping Tom warns that professionals who work under the present APNU+AFC Administration also have to be worried, as they do not know whether the same offences will be used against them, and asks rhetorically why any professional worth his salt would want to come to work in Guyana “under such a poisoned political environment”.
Does Peeping Tom have a serious explanation for Guyana’s failure to retain skilled personnel?
To merely suggest that “professionals have been running out of Guyana not because they cannot enjoy a good life, but because they do not wish themselves and their family to become victims of the country’s vicious political culture” is disingenuous at best or plainly simplistic and stupid – unless Peeping Tom is fatalistically saying that Guyana has always had a vicious political culture, so nothing has changed since 2015.
What started with the foreign exchange shortages of the late 70’s and developed exponentially over the past two decades, however, is a culture of corruption.
What has changed is the will of the current Government to act in tandem with the rest of the region, especially Central and South America, to tackle the scourge of endemic corruption. The time is now to change the mindset that works on the premise that when in a position of power – from police officer through bookkeeper to Minister in Government – it is the time to “get in” by pocketing what you can off the record. Peeping Tom completely misses the point about what is indeed a worldwide change in attitudes towards corruption, especially by persons in high places.
It always was, and it certainly is today, irresponsible to indignantly query as does Peeping Tom; “how are professionals going to function when they know that there is the possibility that someone will claim that they did this or they failed to do that, and therefore can be charged with an offence which can see them being jailed for life”.
That is called accountability – exactly what is needed in Guyana to deter the culturally dishonest from exploiting the pivotal positions they find themselves in by virtue of their scholastic or otherwise commendable achievements, and also to encourage legions of truly dedicated Guyanese professionals to return home bringing acquired expertise, or willingly remain home to serve our beloved country after graduating from UG.
Sincerely
QC Old Boy

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