NEWLY-elected President David Granger has embarked on a difficult journey on a path strewn with roses interlaced with thorns; and he seems intent on sensitively but judiciously de-stemming those thorns, if his words and his actions days into his new office parlays into sincere commitment to nation building.
Staffers at the Presidential Complex were on Monday reassured by President Granger that they would not be persecuted in any way, regardless their affiliations, once they serve the Government with professionalism.
Stressing that the Office of the President is a very important branch of the Public Service and the hub of Government, hence it is very important that it functions efficiently, he promised, “You’re all professionals, and I am not going to enquire into your political leads, I am not going to enquire into your business leads, I don’t know if you belong to the lodge, I don’t want to know if you put your head in a turban, (or) burn candles at night. When you come in to work, I want you to understand you’re serving the people of Guyana without fear or favour, affection or ill will.”
The Guyanese Head-of-State affirmed that the oath he took on May 16 made him President of “all Guyanese”, as he assured the staffers: “I am not being sworn in as leader of APNU/AFC, I am being sworn in as President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. If I could have a public conscience, or public vision, or public sense of vision, I would expect all of you to have that vision.”
Rejecting individual biases as pertinent to professional conduct, President Granger reiterated that the degree of the professionalism demonstrated by State employees is determined by their ability to suppress that bias.
Stressing the importance of solidarity in a work environment, he noted that the work of State employees are determined by their expertise, and urged: “We’re all working here together, we’re not working at daggers drawn… so in any group of professionals there has to be a sense of solidarity. If you don’t possess that solidarity… well, then we will fail in our duty.”
Hitting a right note, The President ruminated, “Parties come, (and) parties go,” and urged all stakeholders to cast aside all of the acrimony and antipathy of the past week or the past years because “I would like us to look forward to a Guyana which is respectful of all of the people”.
During this transitory period of transference of the reins of Government, the mint-coined Head-of-State plans such meetings across the landscape of the country’s state administrative apparatuses to enable stability and continuity in the country’s developmental dynamics.
The fears being harboured by PPP/C supporters, of wholesale witch-hunting by the new administration, are somewhat being slowly allayed by President Granger’s reassurances.
However, will the members of his Cabinet and other government functionaries of the newly-installed administrative construct honour his words?
Only time will tell.
