…President says probe clears Lloyda Garrett of malice

THE Ministry of the Presidency’s Chief Press Officer Lloyda Garrett, who came under fire for using what many considered as a racially derogatory remark, has been cleared of the allegation with President David Granger stating that there was no intended malice.
“The matter is closed now. Miss Garrett has spoken, and an investigation was done, and we are satisfied that there was no malice, and we have moved on from that,” President Granger told reporters on Wednesday when questioned about the investigation while at State House.
Leaked screenshots of a private conversation Garrett had with her friends in a private chat room on the popular social media network, Facebook, showed her using a racial slur to describe her colleagues in the Press and Publicity Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency. The screenshots first appeared on the Facebook page of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Dharamlall.
But President Granger said Garrett’s remark must be viewed in the context in which it was made.
“I think we have to put things in context…. and I am convinced, I am satisfied that the word that was actually used was not done with any malice and as I said, we have moved on from that.”
While expressing his confidence in her, President Granger praised Garrett for displaying good work ethic and professionalism in the execution of her mandate. According to him, he is satisfied with the work done by the chief press officer.
“I believe that many people are aware of the language that we speak here in Guyana, and you mustn’t try to separate it from the context within which it was used,” he emphasised.
On the basis that certain slurs are commonly used in Guyana, President Granger opined that there is need for a campaign to eliminate such from Guyanese vocabulary.
“I think we have to have a campaign to purge our vocabulary of those slurs…We have to look at it in context, and as I said there was no malice intended, but we perhaps need collectively to purge the language completely of those slurs.”
When the President initially spoke on the matter, he said the remark by Garrett does not represent her personal philosophy or that of the government.