Systemic unprofessionalism of some public servants

Sep 09, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

This is not politics, and it is not my intention to provide fodder to those who are bent on politicizing any and all issues that confront the common folk of this nation. What this is about is the systemic unprofessionalism and ambivalence that has forever characterized the level of service afforded by those who are paid public employees, servants of the people.

My bone of contention stems from repeated patchwork failures due to shoddy repairs done by contractors working on the remediation of the Corentyne Highway on behalf of the Ministry of Public Works. This patchwork of uneven, partly finished and untouched damaged areas is evident on the Corentyne Highway from Palmyra to Moleson Creek. And that does not include the most deplorable state and condition of the Black Bush Polder roadways, neither is it meant to diminish the atrocious conditions of other roadways.

Editor, on the 2nd of May of this year, at a few minutes to 05:00hrs, a crew working on behalf of Public Works were engaged in fixing several craters at Bush Lot, Kildonan, Nurney and neighbouring villages at Central Corentyne/East Berbice. A few weeks later those patchworks crumbled. The craters are now larger, deeper, wider and more dangerous. The most dangerous being at Bush Lot. This one has gotten so big that vehicles traversing this section of the highway, take evasive action by driving off the parapet and on adjacent driveways or they drive on the opposite lane.

Editor, in this particular situation, this is a carnage waiting to happen. One small mistake made by an errant road user has the potential to wreak havoc, cause loss of lives, injuries and damages to properties and utilities. While my angst stems from this deplorable state and condition of the roadways and the unacceptable shoddy workmanship that fail almost immediately after each repair, my bone of contention is with those tasked with the responsibility for the upkeep, maintenance and safety of the roadways and those who are employed to ensure that our concerns are heard and addressed.

Editor, in my attempt to bring some attention to bear on this issue, I have (over the past several weeks) reached out to the subject Ministries, authorities, agencies, departments, RDC, NDC and even the Office of the President with absolutely no success. Aside from a few automated responses, as of this morning (September 7th), I am yet to receive an acknowledgement of my communication to the aforementioned list. My greatest disappointment was when personnel in the Office of the President stated that my email was received and that the addressee was busy and therefore my email remained unattended. When asked if the email was read by those who triage the incoming communication, the answer was yes, but that answer was dodgy. The person had to search for the email, and did not know that a couple of files pertaining to the disrepair were attached to the email. When pressed, it was explained that they are not allowed to view videos on their computer and that I should send still images. What age do we live in?

This afternoon, I got the run around from a staff in the Office of the Ministry of Public Works. I was given a number to contact the Engineers at the Urban Road Department. Calls to that Department went unanswered. I called the office of the MOPW again and this time, a very professional young lady listened and asked that I email her with my concerns and that she will ensure that it gets the attention of the subject Minister. I forwarded the email that was previously sent (that is still unattended) to the Office of the President. Within a few minutes, I received an acknowledgement of receipt.

Editor, I read of and see various Ministers, subject personnel, regional and local government representatives out in the field doing their level best and going above and beyond the call of duty to serve the people of this nation. However, given my experience, I am of the opinion that the support personnel are failing their superiors, the subject Ministers and the citizens of this country.

It irks me that this continued shoddy workmanship has become all too common and acceptable. It is equally vexing that the support staff lack the professionalism, ethics, discipline, dedication and tools to effectively function within their roles and responsibilities. Worse yet is the ambivalence, attitude and lack of decorum that is evident in exchanges with these employees. Hopefully, the roadway at Central Corentyne will be fixed before some is killed but until then one can only yearn for a shift in the culture of the workforce and for Guyana to rise and shine as a nation among nations.

Thank you kindly,

Jay Mobeen

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• communication, contention, Jay Mobeen, Office of the President, responsibility

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