–for daring to question his credibility

RECENTLY appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr Richard Van-West Charles, has lambasted People’s Progressive Party General Secretary Clement Rohee for alleging he is unqualified for the position.

Rohee said Monday at his weekly press conference, “Van-West Charles lacks the qualifications and experience to address GWI’s distribution and porous water system due to leakage and theft.”
Taking umbrage at Rohee’s cheek, Dr Van-West Charles fired back by way of a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle Tuesday, “Rohee hasn’t got the competence, the judgment, nor the academic capabilities to make that disclosure!”
Having got that off his chest, Dr Van-West Charles said that Rohee needn’t worry, as he knows he is well qualified for the job, and as such does not wish to get into any “cross-talk” with him.
“I am doing what I am charged to do, and I will do it in an excellent manner; and along with my technical staff, who have significant knowledge and competence, we will do our jobs efficiently and reliably,” Dr. Van-West Charles declared.s
At Monday’s press conference, Rohee, apart from questioning Dr Van-West Charles’s suitability, had also highlighted the water woes affecting huge swathes of residents in rural communities across the country.
“Since his assumption to office,” he said, “Van-West Charles has been visiting various communities, parading the virtues of his new responsibilities. Of noteworthy importance is the selected and discriminatory manner in which he is going about his business of “fixing” long outstanding water woes, especially at private housing schemes, while neglecting a number of villages around the country, which continue to be without a drop of water.”

However, when asked about this, Van-West Charles said the water company is already on top of the situation, having embarked on several outreach programmes in various neighbourhoods and communities across the country.

“Over the past few weeks,” he said, “we have made agreements for providing water to places which were experiencing shortages for years now; for instance, in places like Ann’s Grove and Savannah Park, while works are continuing in some other communities.”
He also said that after looking at some queries last Sunday, he has since scheduled meetings with residents at Mocha-Arcadia, Kuru Kuru, and Friendship, but that are ongoing at Mahdia and Bartica.