The National Park: Reason APNU+AFC may lose the election

Jul 29, 2019 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Anyone who knows anything about me must know that I can be reached every morning in the National Park. Long before my dog was born I could be found in the National Park.
My dog would be uncomfortable for the entire day if she doesn’t see the National Park. She knows in the mornings, her routine is to play in the park.
Over the past ten years, people coming to me to offer complaints I have recommended they meet me there. I called B.K. Tiwari from my cell phone in the park when a group of his workers came there to talk about their violations. The past two years, three Guyanese doctoral students from American universities have interviewed me in that place.
The point I am trying to make is that I am a fixture in the ambience so I know the environment. Yesterday there appeared a letter in the print media by an anonymous signature (for obvious reason) about what is taking place in the National Park. To underscore my message in this column, I have reproduced the missive in full.
It goes like this; “It is with great reluctance that we write to you today in an effort to highlight the plight of staff of the Protected Areas Commission at the National Park. Over the last few years, there has been increasing levels of disrespect, bullying and downright unprofessional behaviour towards many of the junior staff by the current management of the Commission.
“Complaints from the staff to the HR Department about this behaviour are brushed aside and rarely result in any positive outcome.
“There is no other avenue open to the staff to voice their concerns and they are forced to spend almost 8 hours daily in this toxic environment. This unprofessional behaviour has resulted in the loss of all the middle management positions, including all the heads of departments and Senior Officers who chose to leave rather than be subjected to this behaviour.
“The staff are dejected, many have lost their passion for the jobs they signed on to do primarily because of the abhorrent behaviour displayed by a particular official, and the general sloth of management to rectify this toxic environment.
“We are therefore imploring someone in either the Department of Labour, or anyone who can help, to please start an investigation into the management of the Protected Areas Commission and offer some reprieve to the staff. “
I can bear testimony to the contents of that correspondence. Over the past four years, since the APNU+AFC came to power, all the junior and middle management personnel I know at the National Park are gone.
These were people who complained to me bitterly about the new administration and the appalling level of power abuse and arrogance. I have done two columns on the attitude of pomposity I have seen since at that place the change of government.
Every day, workers complain to me about the administration there. I gave the particular title to this column because of what these workers tell me. Many would say, ‘Mr. Kissoon this is what I voted for.”
Others would say, “Mr. Kissoon, the previous people were far better, where we get this set from.”
When I was interviewed by Mark Benschop two weeks ago, I told him there are areas of state functionalism that were better than when the PPP was in power. That statement is not an endorsement of the PPP.
It is not an acknowledgement of the PPP’s superior rule. It is simply facts of life that I have accepted because I see the regression in these areas since APNU+AFC came to power. Four areas of backward slide are conspicuous for me – UG, City Council, the Chronicle and the National Park.
Last year, I had to intervene about the cruel stance of the park’s administration to have the security ranks supervise the car park without a hut to provide shelter from the sun and rain.
Can one imagine, the administration resisted constructing that hut? I visited GAWU to help an employee wrongfully dismissed. GAWU is a hopeless, toothless poodle. The workers of the park need to find another union.
Let me repeat for those who cannot see beyond their nose and approach politics in Guyana as “dem versus us”, PPP versus PNC,” Indians versus Africans,” I have seen aspects of power exercise in Guyana since the APNU+AFC came to office that have caused me deep angst because I expected a more democratic approach, more humane understanding, deeper appreciation of employees’ value, less arrogance than what obtained under the PPP.
The National Park is just another example, where the winner of the next election is anyone’s guess.

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The National Park: Reason APNU+AFC may lose the election

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