Old people running things

Jul 28, 2022 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Guyana has had a brain drain for decades. That process has led to thousands of skilled Guyanese emigrating.

As result, it has become challenging to obtain persons with skills. This problem afflicts both the public and private sector.

But there is an even greater problem which has arisen since the PPP/C has come into office and which was taken to the extreme under the APNU+AFC regime. Both governments have been guilty of two sins: the first is keeping persons on the State’s payroll beyond the statutory age of retirement, in some cases 55 years and in others 60 years.

The second sin has been the practice of bringing persons from outside of an organisation to head that organisation. In the process of doing so, persons who have worked diligently within that organisation for years are not afforded the chance to be promoted.

There was a time in this country when a new recruit joining the Guyana Police Force could aspire to one day become the Commissioner of Police. Many past Commissioners joined the Force at the entry level and worked their way up to the ranks to the very top. That is not likely to ever happen again since there is not an Officers’ cadet scheme which brings persons in as officers rather than as constables.

In the civil service and public corporations, it was always possible that persons starting out as the Office Assistant could work their way up the ladder and by qualifying themselves could reach the top. It is still theoretically possible but highly improbable.

These days, political appointees are catapulted to high office. Many, not all, of the Permanent Secretaries, in the public service are political appointees.  Even if you are the deputy head of an organisation, there is no guarantee that you will succeed your boss when that person leaves the job.

This is one of the prime reasons why there is such poor morale within the public service and public sector. The workers know that even if they give of their best, they are likely to be superseded by someone who has no intuitional knowledge but has strong political connections.

But even more demoralising is the failure to promote persons within an organisation. What has been happening, especially with the advent of the PPP/C government, has been the practice of either keeping persons on the job past the retirement age or rehiring retirees on the jobs. When this happens, promotions are stagnated. As a result, young employees get frustrated and leave because they are waiting in vain for some sexagenarian, septuagenarian or octogenarian to depart.

Ironically when the younger employee is forced to leave because their upward mobility is suppressed, the employer justifies retaining retirees on the grounds that there is no suitable replacement.  But how can there be a suitable replacement when those at the bottom are not being given the chance to act in higher positions and thus acquire the necessary experience and exposure.

The APNU+AFC was the major culprit in hiring and rehiring persons who had long passed the statutory age of retirement. It is one thing to hire someone past the age of 65 years – that person may still have experience and skills which are needed and they can be used to help train their successors. But it is another thing to hire someone past the age of 70 years. There can be no justification for doing so in public offices other than advisory positions.

What message is being sent to the young people of this country when they are made to believe that a retiree is indispensable and cannot be replaced? That gives the young person only one option: get on the next plane out.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service had recommended that the age of retirement be extended from the present 55 years. This is a reasonable suggestion which should be implemented. But the politicians do not wish to implement it because they wish to see the backs of some of those 55-year olds in the public service.

This is not to understate the shortage of skilled and experienced workers. It is not only young people who migrate. Many experienced and skilled persons also do so.

A compromise therefore has to be made to ensure sufficient skilled persons in the public sector. But at the same time, there is need to give younger persons the opportunity to be promoted.

One solution would be to increase the age of retirement to 65 years. This should be mandatory for both the public service and public corporations. But on no account should anyone be allowed to work beyond the age of 70 years.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

 

 

 

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