PPP/C parliamentarian Anil Nandlall yesterday released a recent Cabinet procurement document, which lists former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Edward Persico as the Secretary to the Cabinet and he questioned why the appointment was not made public.
Nandlall pointed out that Persico’s name appeared on the October 24, 2017 document just days after Minister of State Joseph Harmon disagreed that his holding the office of Secretary to the Cabinet while being both the minister and a Member of Parliament (MP) was not a violation of the Constitution, which says the office holder shall be a civil servant.
Nandlall posted a photograph of the section of the document where Persico’s name was listed as well as a number of questions. This newspaper was unable to reach Harmon for a comment. However, Stabroek News was reliably informed that Persico has attended Cabinet meetings since government took office in 2015. Persico, it was explained, was the person who did the actual work, while Harmon was the “figurehead.”
