Olivia Grange is doing what David Granger should do

Aug 08, 2018 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, is reviewing the dress code for women in governmental buildings. Under current guidelines, sleeveless dresses and tops are not permitted. The renewal of the debate was tempestuous after the UK Prime Minister wore a red sleeveless dress to the official ceremony welcoming President Trump.
Many argued that such a type of wear would not have allowed a woman to get into a government function. One writer then exposed the double standards of Jamaica society by pointing out that the wife of the Governor-General wore a sleeveless dress to the inauguration of Prime Minister Andrew Holness. And the writer gave a hilarious example of a woman who was stopped from entering a ministry, went back to her car, tore a hole in a page of the Jamaica Gleaner, covered her arms, and was allowed to enter. Responding to the debate, Prime Minister Holness remarked; “as a modern society, we must evolve”.
It was during a media interview that President Granger showed his disapproval with Guyana’s archaic dress code. But unlike Jamaica, there is no report into the aberration. President Granger made his remark and that was the end of that. The sign stipulating those anachronistic sartorial requirements are all over Guyana. Most schools have the signs prominently featured on their gates. It is conspicuously emblazoned on the door leading to the offices of the Mayor. It appears like the Mayor does not want you to wear sleeveless tops when you come to her office, but when M&CC sponsors the bacchanal in a few days’ time to celebrate the 175th birth anniversary of City Hall, you are allowed to gyrate naked in the streets.
One would have thought that once Granger made his remarks, he would have ensured that the Ministry of the Presidency compile a report for guidance. This has not happened and the ancient dress code is still alive in Guyana. It is so sad that so many irritating inconsequentialities that reduce us to a silly republic could be removed with the stroke of a pen. I literally mean with the stroke of a pen.
Here are the designations that are authorized to sign a UG pensioner’s form: – Notary Public; Commissioner of Oaths; Medical Practitioner; Head teacher; Minister of Religion; Superintendent of Police, or a Bank Manager. In the entire society of Guyana, only seven categories of persons can sign a UG pension form for that person to be paid. No military officer, no lawyer, no journalist, no university lecturer, no engineer, no Permanent Secretary, no business proprietor, etc.
How can that be changed? A simple memo from the Vice Chancellor to his Human Resource Officer repeating the following words of Prime Minister Holness – “ as a modern society, we must evolve.” All the Vice Chancellor has to do is to ask the relevant subordinate to widen the list of persons who can sign the form. Your guess is as good as mine if that effort, which will take less than a minute, will do done.
Here are the categories of persons that can sign an NIS pension form: – Justice of the Peace; Notary Public; Minister of Religion; Medical Practitioner; Head teacher; Senior Public Servant; Superintendent of Police; Bank Manager; President or Secretary of a Trade Union.
The NIS also stipulates that the designation stamp must be affixed. As you can see, the NIS criteria have two other categories than UG – senior public servant and trade unionist. The question is whether the NIS makes a distinction between a public servant and a public sector employee. The ministries’ employees are generally regarded as public servants. Public sector employees are those that are outside the general civil service format. A good example would be a Forestry employee.
All the Board of the NIS has to do is to task the Human Resource Officer with extending the designations. What is so onerous about that? Also, there are hundreds of prominent citizens in this country who do not operate with a stamp. Why must the NIS insist on a stamp? Many lawyers do not have stamp pads.
These little stupidities have no right to be in existence in Guyana, fifty-two years after Independence, but they are ubiquitous in 2018. Moreover, what is so sad, tragic and sickening is that these vexations could be removed within minutes. There is absolutely no need to consult the University of Guyana Act or the statutes of the university to change such a harmless piece of nonsense. It is not a legal matter. It is an administrative decision. When foreigners come here and run us down, we get angry. But Christ man! Why are we so backward?

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