Dear Editor,
Kindly permit me to respond to allegations and accusations levelled against me and my Ministry by Member of Parliament (MP), the Honourable Harry Gill, about their supposed incompetence while I am on official duties overseas.
In his letter published in Stabroek News on November 19th under the caption ‘No one seems to have authority to get things done when Minister Volda Lawrence is abroad’ Gill complained in the penultimate paragraph that “…the Minister is always out of the country and no one else seems to have the authority to get things done in her absence”.
There are several inaccuracies and omissions in the MP’s missive which I will highlight for the record.
Firstly, upon my assumption to office the Child Protection Agency (CPA) informed me that there were several matters still outstanding with the Adoption Board. As a consequence, I asked Ms Bibi Shadick, on June 24 to Chair the meeting of the Board to conclude those outstanding matters which were before them prior to the May 11 polls.
Secondly, the Board met but was still unable to conclude all the outstanding matters, and on August 26th Ms. Shadick was asked again to Chair the Statutory Meeting in a bid to bring closure to those issues with assurances from me that that Meeting would be the last she would have been asked to Chair.
Thirdly, Mr Gill approached me at the end of October about a “personal matter”. However I advised him that the new Board was awaiting Cabinet’s approval and it was my estimation that, hopefully, the outstanding matters would have been resolved in time before the new Board is constituted. I was further advised that the new Board would be gazetted. The CPA staff was also advised that I was awaiting Cabinet’s approval of the newly-named Adoption Board.
Fourthly, given this accurate background information, it is preposterous for Mr Gill to allege that I gave him September 30th as the date when the ‘old board’ would be instructed to meet and resolve the outstanding issues. This is either a figment of his imagination or him being deliberately careless with the truth
Fifthly, while I cannot fault Mr Gill for pursuing persistently and painstakingly his personal programme, as a representative of the people, their issues should be paramount to him.
I want to counsel the MP, that as a recent expatriate, he should familiarise himself with my track record.
(a) My recent visit to Peru, was my fourth. On the previous occasions, I was selected based on my competence and track record in and out of the National Assembly, as an elected member of the then Opposition and now as a Minister of the government to participate and present papers on social issues.
(b) This time I had the opportunity of attending the very important meeting on hunger and under-nourishment and if Mr Gill and his party were contributing positively, Guyana would have been better off today.
(c) These trips Mr Gill complained about are not ‘joy rides’. My most recent engagement began from 8:30am and lasted until 8:30 pm.
(d) On the final day following the 8:30pm conclusion I immediately travelled for 18 hours back to Guyana and reported for duty at 8:30 hours Thursday.
(e) This government is committed to serving all Guyanese which includes Mr Gill and family and we will do so in a transparent and professional manner
(f) I am inviting Mr Gill to my Lamaha and East Streets office and I am expecting him to report before 4am to commence helping to clean the mess his party left behind after 23 continuous years in office. Since persons in need of assistance would present themselves from 4:00 a.m. knowing that their matters will be addressed in a professional and cordial manner irrespective of whether the Minister is in office or not.
I wish to remind my legislator colleague that when one points an accusing finger at others there are usually three others pointing in the accuser’s direction.
I conclude by urging Mr Gill to reflect on, and internalise, what the author, playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, said many years ago: the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves.
Yours faithfully,
Volda Lawrence
Minister of Social Protection
