Pressure is mounting on the Government to have the terms and conditions of Guyana Election’s Commission (GECOM) Chairman James Patterson’s employment contract made public, as concern is being expressed that it may hide a more lucrative salary than any of his predecessors.
Making this call was Opposition Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall, who on Tuesday noted the importance of the Guyanese public being privy to this information. According to Nandlall, the Chairman is after all being paid with public funds derived from taxpayers.
“Every Chairman of GECOM signed a contract of service upon their appointment. It is this contract that contains the terms and conditions of service, inclusive of the remuneration package and benefits to which the office holder is entitled,” Nandlall said.
“This position is not a private office but a public and constitutional one paid from public funds. Therefore this contract, its terms and conditions and the remuneration and benefits paid thereunder are not secrets but information to which the public is entitled,” he added.
Nandlall pointed out that it is almost a year since Patterson was appointed as the Chairman of GECOM.
“Yet to date, no one has seen a copy of his contract of service, despite repeated requests from the Opposition Commissioners at the Commission for a copy of the contract to be brought before the Commission for their perusal.”
“Why the secrecy? Why is this contract not being made public? Is this another cover-up, like the disastrous petroleum contract with the oil companies? Is this another sweet heart deal?” the MP questioned.
Meanwhile, sources have indicated to this publication that Patterson’s contract trumps that enjoyed by his predecessor in the Chairman’s position, Dr Steve Surujbally. Efforts by this publication to make contact with Patterson on the matter were futile.
While Government is not known for releasing information on the salaries earned by public officials off their own initiative, the Administration has previously made such details available upon request.
In the past, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had previously submitted a list of salary scales in the Ministry of the Presidency, when requested to do so by the Opposition in the National Assembly.
The non-disclosure of his employment terms would be the latest controversy since Patterson arrived at the Commission. Patterson’s appointment itself, which was under a cloud of controversy, was even challenged at the level of the High Court.
After rejecting three lists of nominees submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, President David Granger had gone ahead and appointed retired Justice Patterson as the new GECOM Chairman.
This decision had been, and continues to be, the centre of contention and debate, especially among civil society. In fact, it was as a result of this that People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary, Zulficar Mustapha, approached the High Court to challenge the appointment.
But on June 8, 2018, acting Chief Justice Roxane George had ruled that the Constitution of Guyana allowed for the President to unilaterally appoint someone to fill the position of GECOM chair. As such, Mustapha subsequently filed legal proceedings to appeal the High Court decision.
