Dear Editor,
It was a cold morning in No. 67 Village on Saturday as the small shower cascaded down the Corentyne River, while fishermen at the nearby Co-op opened their ice-boxes to parley on their weekly catch. Even the house where Dr. Oudho Homenauth grew up next to the Hindu Temple was shuttered and boarded-up – unwilling, it appears, to take in the bad news.
Rumours had been floating in the community since last week that the local academic who had insisted on throwing his lot and staying in Guyana rather than migrate with his PhD colleagues to greener pastures, as most have done since the 1990s, was in trouble. It appeared that his longstanding job at NAREI had been given to someone else.
But, how come? Why? After all he had been a good foot soldier, diligent and committed to his professional skills and not a word of complaint.
Here is what we know so far: a) Dr Homenauth was informed last week Monday that his job was no longer his “Last Monday I was called to a meeting by the Director General at the Ministry and was told that this is my last day at NAREI” Dr. Homenauth, Stabroek News 13th March, 2021); b) Stabroek News announced on the 11th March, 2021, that Dr Homenauth’s job at NAREI had been given to someone else; c) Dr. Homenauth has a three-year contract signed on 1st August, 2021.
So, where is the problem? Why is Dr. Homenauth not protected by due process? Does it mean that the Ministry of Agriculture can be asked to compensate Dr. Homenauth for the three years that were promised by his contract? And, another similar sum for foregone opportunities?
How does what Dr. Homenauth has gone through reflect on the government of Guyana seeking professional skills, especially when there are so few around? It should not have escaped the government’s attention that an estimated 79 percent of tertiary graduates leave the country after graduation. Worse still, Dr Homenauth is not any-body. He has been with the government for at least twenty years, and by all accounts provided yeoman service during that time. Is summary dismissal now the reward for loyalty and service?
Yours truly,
Rishee Thakur
