–and must be managed accordingly

PROPERTIES of the state belong to the people of Guyana, not government officials or their friends and families. State properties are not there to be abused by those entrusted with the privilege to serve the people.

We have, over recent years, witnessed ministers’ children being assigned state vehicles and having access to unlimited petrol, paid for by the workers/tax-paying public. The assigning of houses owned by the state to non-state officials, their families and friends is also of concern. The time has come for this debased culture to cease.

Another area of concern is the public hospitals. The role of public healthcare institutions is to provide service to the wider community; yet, to a large extent, those institutions have been hamstrung in the delivery of their service. There have been shortages of bed space, pharmaceuticals, and other support services, which lend themselves to compromised and inadequate service delivery. In the presence of this inadequacy, government ministers and a chosen few have exercised the option – on workers/taxpayers’ money – to seek care overseas.

What we are seeing here is that, on one hand there is disinvestment in the citizens in the use of their money (i.e. taxes) in providing/ensuring adequate services to those seeking services; and on the other hand there is an abuse of the workers’ taxes to provide overseas healthcare for those identified as privileged.

Immediately after the government changed hands in May 2015, this nation was, and continues to be, advised of the misuse, abuse and stealing of the state’s resources. All efforts by the state to recover those stolen assets and hold the perpetrators accountable are deserving of our support; equally as we, too, must see to it that the government carries out this exercise without fear, favour, ill-will, or compromise.

Outside of those correctly placed before the courts for alleged misconduct, there is also the case of vehicles that have not been returned to the state. Brought to my attention recently was an incident involving reclaiming a state vehicle from someone who ought to have known better, given his professed closeness to God. At a police checkpoint, the occupant was advised that the vehicle he was using belongs to the state and is on a list to be retrieved. That individual’s response to the officer was, “Do you know who I am?” The officer’s response was, “I know who you were!” and advised the occupant to park the vehicle, take out his personal belongings, and leave. The officer’s request was obeyed. While this vehicle was retrieved, what ought not to be lost sight of is that the occupant’s response confirms this sense of entitlement by some in our midst. This person should have known better, and ought to be thankful he was not arrested and placed before the court for theft, because this is what such action is tantamount to.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, is on public record as saying that this administration is examining the possibility of putting in place special licence plates for state vehicles. Conscious of the abuse that took place over several years, this is a focus in the right direction, and it is expected that this will be implemented. An effort of this nature, when applied across the spectrum, will hold public officials accountable, minimise wastage of the workers’/taxpayers’ money, and improve governance.