Dear Editor,
I was attracted to the caption given to the letter addressed to you by the Public Relations Officer, M&CC in Stabroek News of January 08, 2007 namely “Mayor Green’s advertisement was not seen by the Town Clerk or the Council”. It accurately reflected the presumption established in the first paragraph of the letter that the Mayor was accountable to the ‘Administration’. What the letter also proceeded to reflect was the evident disrespect which the members of the ‘Administration’ are wont to show the Mayor, and the former’s intransigence in refusing to recognise, in turn, their accountability to the Mayor and Councillors.
The PRO in particular should reflect on his behaviour when, flouting the objection of the council, he proceeded to the UK to pursue a course of study at their unauthorised expense. He should also reflect on his arranging employment elsewhere during his vacation, without the prior knowledge or approval of the council. He is mistaken in believing that he was ‘on his own time’. It is common industrial relations practice that employees, including CEOs, can be recalled from their vacation.
Additionally, many must wonder, in which other organisation in this or any other country, would an employee, however senior, be allowed to publicly rail against his employer, with impunity. But then, very likely, the PRO will argue that the Mayor is not his employer. Nor does the officer speak for himself only. He clearly im-plies that he represents the ‘Administration’ by such expressions as: “Even if we were willing to turn a blind eye
