PM appoints 4 “Special Representatives” in regions

Despite already coming in for harsh criticisms over the recent political appointments of Regional Executive Officers (REOs), the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government went ahead and provided four more of its activists with jobs within the regional districts in the country. These persons will work outside of the regional system established constitutionally.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Monday appointed four new Special Representatives in four regions across Guyana, who would be tasked with the responsibility of working with the public on issues which could be addressed through the Office of the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister’s Representative will be responsible for liaising with the public on matters of concern and working through the Office of the Prime Minister to assist persons in their respective regions to improve their lives,” Nagamootoo stated.

Nagamootoo justified this initiative by explaining that it would help “take the Office of the Prime Minister beyond Georgetown”.

The political appointees are Karan Chand for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Abel Seetaram for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Gobin Harbhajan for Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) and Vladimir Glasgow for Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). It is unclear why these regions were selected and if the other regions will be getting their own “special representatives”.

Government already came under fire for providing simply “jobs for the boys” when it appointed “unqualified political” personnel as REOs for several of the administrative regions in Guyana.

Condemnation from sections of society was particularly high over the appointment of APNU/AFC Candidate Veerasammy Ramayya as Region Six REO. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) contended that this move by the coalition Government to “politicise” the regional administration was a clear hijacking of the regional powers. The move was also considered hypocritical given that the Government justified the firing of the former REOs by claiming that it wanted to get rid of political appointees in the system.

Meanwhile, according to a media release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Region Two Representative is a veteran educator who worked as a teacher and administrator for over 30 years in Guyana, Belize, Turks and Caicos, the United States of America and Canada. Boasting a degree from the University of Guyana and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from the Miami University, Chand landed jobs in areas of vocational training for young people and adult educational programmes. For this reason, one of his responsibilities will be to provide English Language training for the Cuban doctors attached to the Suddie Hospital.

The Region Five Representative was only described as a social activist, but he has been a prolific letter writer for the AFC over the last few years and has been involved in several confrontations with PPP officials in the past.

The Region Six Representative is said to be a businessman for over 30 years who is committed to working with the rice farmers, cash crop farmers and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers in region.

The Region 10 Representative is a former student of the Linden Foundation Secondary School and he will be focusing on the issues of jobs, security, housing and youth development in Region 10.