THE APNU+AFC government has dismissed reports that the number of contract employees have drastically increased at the Ministry of the Presidency since it took office in May 2015. A recent Budget 2016 report released by chartered accounting firm, Ram and McRae pointed out that the retention of public servants as contracted employees had increased under the new government from 298 in 2015 to 505 in 2016.

But Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman told a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday that it was “virtually impossible” for such an increase in contract employees to occur.

Minister Trotman explained that critics need to take into consideration that there are a number of departments and ministries that now fall under the purview of the Ministry of the Presidency, thus the increased figures.

“It is not as if this government has gone out and hired hundreds of people, because it feels it wants to do so,” Minister Trotman said.

POST MAY 2015

Following the May 2015 elections, the Ministry of the Presidency is now comprised of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Ministry of Citizenship, and still includes the Public Service Department, the General Registrar’s Office, Immigration, E-Governance, and the National Community Development Council.

The Ministry of Natural Resources was only recently designated a separate Ministry, and was also a Ministry within the Ministry of the Presidency until January 2016.

“So this is why you will see what appears to be a jump. But, as I said, there has not been this mass hiring of people, but because of the bundling and the new functions of the Ministry of the Presidency, the collation of the numbers would give you what appears to be a frightening figure,” Minister Trotman further explained.

It was noted that in May 2015, the total amount of staff at the then Office of the President was 375, and that as of January 2016, that number is now 325.

TAKEN UMBRAGE

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Presidency has taken umbrage at the article carried in the February 3 edition of the Stabroek News, headlined “Hiring of contract workers balloons under new government”, saying tating that the report is inaccurate.

A statement from the said ministry has expressed disappointment that the newspaper did not seek to garner the facts on the matter. According to the statement, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has said that the publication of the article was “misleading” at best, and pointed to the fact that no effort has been made thus far by any journalist of any media house to attempt to clarify the matter.

“The operational strength of the Ministry has gone down,” Harmon is quoted as saying.

“In May 2015, we had 375 staff working at OP. In January 2016, we have 325, specifically for the Office of the President complex… So, it is not accurate to say that the Ministry’s hires are skyrocketing; it is that there have been organisational changes that have taken place.”

He further notes that as of January 2016, the Public Service Department, previously the Public Service Ministry staff total was 50; Department of Natural Resources, 58; Ministry of Citizenship, 141; and E-Governance, 69.

Minister Harmon said that all of those questions could have been answered, if only media houses had used the opportunity to obtain the government’s response.

“I believe that journalistic ethics require that people call and ask you for a comment, which I am always prepared to give,” Minister Harmon said.

CONTRACT HIRES

Adding that there were a number of contract hires under the previous administration, the Minister of State said many of them were actually unable to perform at the required standards.

“Some of the people were here because of some ‘Freedom-House’ arrangement, and were all contract workers; but in a structured environment, you could not get them to perform. These are things we had to address. Contract employees brought on are people with a skill; people who are there to replace those people who were brought by the PPP [People’s Progressive Party] and just stuffed into positions; a lot of square pegs they had there. And so to retain them, we have to retrain them,” the Minister said.

Minister Harmon made it clear that all contract workers who have been added to the Ministry of the Presidency were aptly qualified and skilled professionals, and were meant to add to the reform process of the Public Service sector.