Written by Nadine Sanchara
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has risen to the defence of several professionals who are currently serving in various positions in the government, following what he labelled “personal attacks” on them by members of the Opposition and their critics.

The president was at the time addressing a gathering during the recent 50th anniversary celebrations of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) at the Pegasus Hotel.
According to the Guyanese Head of State, the recent attacks on Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Mr. Winston Brassington, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Dr Mahender Sharma and Clerk of the National Assembly Mr. Sherlock Isaacs, are “obscene”.
He related that there seems to be a campaign to try to prevent some of the better people in the society from working in the public sector.
The president stressed that engaging in such attacks would do no good for the country, adding that these attacks were “unjustified, unethical and unprofessional”.
“We need to create an atmosphere where people will do their work and where people will not be afraid to serve in their country,” he emphasised.

He further asserted that he has a high level of confidence in the work of the very professionals being attacked by the Opposition and as such, he stressed that he will continue to stand by them.
Moreover, Ramotar stated that members of the Opposition who may have questions about any of the projects undertaken by the current administration should approach him since he is capable of explaining himself and policies.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, in response to the recent attacks on a number of professionals in public offices, had said that the contributions made by young professionals to the development of Guyana should be commended and encouraged.

“In the face of high global demand for skilled personnel, we in Guyana need to support and encourage those who remain here to contribute to our country’s development and not attack them and render them collateral damage in the contest for political mileage,” Dr Singh said.
According to him, the Opposition has been displaying a most distasteful move to discredit the professional competence of a number of technical, non-political persons working in government with the aim of derailing the projects and tasks on which those persons are engaged.
He said that the constant attacks on the competence and professionalism of persons such as Winston Brassington and Mahender Sharma begs the question: why?

“These individuals have chosen to remain in Guyana and serve their country, and have been doing so with distinction…This is highly commendable and should serve as a source of encouragement for others to remain, or return home and to aid in the further development of Guyana,” Singh asserted.
He further stated that the recent attacks on professionals who work for Government are aimed at intimidating such competent persons and discouraging other qualified personnel from joining the public sector.
“Winston Brassington and Mahender Sharma have been serving this country for 19 and 14 years respectively and have shown unprecedented commitment and dedication to the respective offices in which they serve,” he said.
“Their qualifications and competence can withstand any degree of scrutiny, they can hold their own amongst their professional peers from anywhere else in the world, and any person of sound and objective judgment would attest to their very formidable technical capability,” he added.
In Brassington’s and Sharma’s defence, the minister said that from a technical perspective, they are impressive young Guyanese of whom all Guyanese should be proud.
“Simply put, because these individuals have demonstrated considerable ability to deliver results, the Opposition would like to hound them out of serving Government, plain and simple, and by extension deny the people of Guyana the results of their efforts to serve,” Dr Singh posited.
He also pointed out that government has been making a concerted effort to attract qualified personnel to fill key positions within the public sector in an effort to propel the government’s long-term developmental goals.
“In addition to opposing this government’s developmental projects, the Opposition has moved to attack the persons working on those projects without as much as offering any input that would make the projects better or improve the image of Guyana,” explained the minister.
According to him, the Opposition is irresponsible in making such unwarranted attacks without acknowledging the message it sends to those interested and willing to return home to serve and those committed to staying and working in Guyana.
“Our Government wants Guyana to be a place where Guyanese are proud and comfortable to stay and work, not a place where the Opposition will attack them and make them collateral damage in the political contest,” he stated.
Moreover, Dr Singh repeated his call for the Opposition to work with Government in building Guyana’s professional core in the interest of a stronger public and private sector in the country.
“We have a responsibility as political and community leaders to build Guyana’s image and reputation as we work together to develop a stronger, cohesive and united country by supporting and developing our human resources,” he concluded.