Dear Editor,
Something is wrong. I am willing to admit that the problem might reside with me, even though I doubt it.
Why is it that personnel for high profile, sensitive positions come with taint? Not with faint taint, but heavy baggage that is found to be acceptable.
Forgery; forged qualifications (or lack of); and a convicted molester come to mind. There might be others. This reduces codes, protocols, and standards to so much meaningless paper, and to deceiving the Guyanese people.
The old people had to hide a man who had a history (Amaila Falls); backpedal on a fellow from Toronto (Solid Waste); and do a reverse sweep on a barrister based in London (judiciary). Now along comes the new folk doing their best to imitate their predecessors with similar shoddy practices, and near identical questionable people.
Editor, I hear of due process complied with, procedures adhered to, and every manner of sound corporate practice followed. All of this is acknowledged. But no one should take us for fools; naïve maybe; politically non-pragmatic perhaps; but ignorance is out of the question, and needs other ready heads on which to find a home.
There is something called (an HR, multi-sector dance) prearrangement, pre-selection, and premeditation. All of this is at work in these instances, including the latest one at NCN. It extends from advertising to interview to decision: the deal is already done. It is going through the motions with the winner known. It is a longstanding official farce.
These are one-horse races, no matter how crowded (or academically pedigreed and so forth) the field. The conclusion is foregone.
Now I have no issue with government appointing people it trusts and from within the fold. That much is recognized, understood, and even accepted. But do not present damaged goods, and tell me about process and calibre. Surely, there has to be others in the same fold (here or over there) equipped and competent and clean. Repeat: clean enough to be unveiled to the Guyanese public.
If this is the best that we have to offer, I will take the retired Colonel every day of the year.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
