UG governance: I do not want any recognition

Jun 17, 2018 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The nephew of the Guyanese icon, Moses Bhagwan, Mr. Naim Chan, invited me and David Hinds on his daily morning programme on CNS Channel 6 to discuss the 38th death anniversary of Walter Rodney last Wednesday. Chan asked both of us if we would run for election and seek office. We both declined.
For my part, I said that was not in my blood. I told Chan I stay away from the limelight and just do my little work for the Guyanese people. I am never seen at fancy social gatherings, cocktail functions or embassy parties. I don’t go to these things. I just stay in my corner, continue with my social activism, and laugh at Guyana for the many times I am right about how foolish this country is. I never asked for recognition when I am proven right.
There was a loud explosion about two weeks ago about the harshness of the marijuana law. But years ago in these columns I have been constantly lamenting (and still do) the sadistic mistreatment of poor Guyanese youths. I was the only person who went public in citing the foolishness of having three bridges over the trench between Irving Street and Vlissengen Road, and all three were two-way traffic lanes. The resulting confusion was insane. Years after, they made all the bridges into one-way lanes.
I carped frequently in these columns about the foolishness that Khurshid Sattaur embraced for years at the GRA with respect to renewal of a vehicular road licence. The licence was only available after the budget was passed and had a close off time of three days. The rush at the GRA was psychotic. My suggestion carried many times in my commentaries was to make the document available anytime. Sattaur did that without acknowledging my crusade. But I didn’t care for any mention.
We come now to the UG announcement about changes to the make-up of the Council. In 1995, the Jagan Government amended the University of Guyana Act to allow the council to have sectoral representation from the following; farmers, Amerindians, women groups, lawyers, doctors, trade unions, opposition parliamentary party, ruling party, etc. This made no sense, but it was a mechanism for controlling the council, since the PPP regime made all the selections rather than allow these sectors to appoint their own choices.
I publicly denigrated this foolishness from the time it came into being in 1995. Now it looks like this stupidity is coming to an end, but it may well be replaced by another stupidity. The University of Guyana statutes give enormous powers to the Vice Chancellor. The only avenue that can reverse or stop a Vice Chancellor’s decision is the council, as it did when the current Vice Chancellor wanted to pay a monthly rent of $6 million for a building at Camp and Lamaha Streets.
Here is where the mediocrity of Guyana’s journalism and the sheepish nature of this population comes in.
The Vice Chancellor met the press at a luncheon to mark his second year in office and made the announcement of the impending changes. And not one journalist got up and asked that if the Council’s power is cut, then the Vice Chancellor becomes the Leviathan at UG, because there will be no source at UG that can curtail his power.
I worked at UG for 26 consecutive years, held a leadership role in the union for seven years, and was a member of the Council for six years. I know that there is no parallel source of power to the Vice Chancellor. Only the council can order him or cancel his decision.
This analysis here has absolutely nothing to do with the current Vice Chancellor. He is new. The previous Vice Chancellors openly abused their authority because of the enormity of the power of their office. The point is, if the government is going to minimize the authority of the council, it should at the same time, in the impending amendment to the UG Act, decentralize power in general at the institution.
This means decentralizing the Vice Chancellery, thus empowering some important committees that the Vice Chancellor is in charge of, namely the Academic Board, the Finance and General Purpose Committee, the Committee of Deans, the Appointments Committee.
All these sources of authority at UG are headed by the Vice Chancellor. He is legally in charge of them and could rescind any decision they make. Sadly and most tragically, our academics and civil society will not raise even a faint voice in furtherance of democratic consolidation in Guyana. They aren’t going to say at least one word.

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UG governance: I do not want any recognition

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