Dear Editor,
I have never really been one to get mixed up in workplace politics. I usually just go in, do what I have to do, and head home. But lately, I can’t shake the feeling that staying quiet is like helping the problem grow.
The President likes to talk about this whole “One Guyana” idea and sure, it sounds nice when he says it. But anyone who’s really paying attention knows that “One Guyana” seems to mean one Guyana for friends and family. What’s happening now under the new Minister of Electricity and Aviation is honestly worrying. There’s a quiet push to move out competent people and replace them with persons who are clearly there because of who they know, not what they can do.
The latest move is to remove the current Customer Services Director—someone who has the qualifications, experience, and a proven record of doing her job well. Traditionally, that position requires someone with at least an MBA along with eight (8) years of “SENIOR” management experience. She fits all of that, and she’s been doing great. But apparently, she doesn’t have the “right look” or the “right party card.”
Now they’re planning to bring in someone straight out of the University of Guyana, class of 2024 with a BSc in Public Management and zero managerial experience. The only thing she seems to have going for her is her friendship with the minister and a Facebook page full of political posts and selfies with the president from campaign events.
It’s sad, really. Even the supervisor who barely has more than two certificates, birth and marriage been calling this one an injustice. Meanwhile, there are plenty of qualified people here, mostly Afro-Guyanese, with MBAs, degrees, and years of real experience, being pushed aside. It’s hard to watch.
One person who had been acting as manager for almost a year was suddenly moved back to their old post just to make room for this new hire. Now the department is left with someone who has no clue about the work and talks down to staff in a very disrespectful way. I’m not someone who likes to pull the race card, but the picture being painted here looks a lot like a racial and political takeover. Mr. Editor, this sends a terrible message, not just to those who’ve given years of service to this company but even to the ones who quietly support the same party. People are scared to speak up because they don’t want to lose their jobs or face victimisation. But silence isn’t helping either.