…says council refusing to employ chauffeur of his choice

TEMPERS flared on Monday between Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine and Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry when the former said he felt his life was in danger because he was being forced to work with a chauffeur that he was not comfortable with.

The setting was the fortnightly statutory meeting at City Hall. Harry explained that the City Council already had two chauffeurs who cannot simply be put out of employment. Furthermore, she said Narine’s current chauffeur had been in the Council’s employ since 1994.

“When I was elected mayor, I had an organisation second my driver but I kept asking and asking for his employment as chauffeur because I don’t need both a driver and chauffeur; that would cost the council,” the mayor expressed in an invited comment to this newspaper.

Because of the amount of work that he was doing in the City at the moment, Narine said he preferred to be with someone with whom he was comfortable. He said while many may not be aware, he is in the streets late at nights and even on the weekends.

Narine recalled that at the last statutory meeting, a decision was taken for the driver of his choice to be employed as his chauffeur as of last March 1. “I am surprised that wasn’t done. Today it was said to me by the Town Clerk that it is not in the law to employ someone as a chauffeur when we already have two in our employ. I was asking what the two chauffeurs are doing but couldn’t get a positive response.”

The mayor said he is of the understanding that former mayors were allowed to bring along their chauffeurs. “So why am I given this kind of hard time at the council administration where the person who drives me is not employed as a chauffeur? I made contact with the Local Government Commission which has indicated to me that the chauffeur can be on a contract and when I leave, he will leave.”

Narine said he raised this matter with Harry since last January and feels like he is being ‘shoved’ around by the administration. “I am comfortable with my person who takes me around to do my business in the city. I am not comfortable at the moment and I feel my life can be threatened like that if I have someone who I am not pleased with or have that confidence in.”

The mayor said other issues that he takes to the administration are dealt with similarly and that he sees it as a vindictive act on his office.