The government on Wednesday rescinded the appointment of Dr Steve Surujbally as Chairman of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).
“It is with deep regret that, in accordance with my powers under section 5 of the Guyana Livestock Authority Act 2010, I rescind your appointment as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Guyana Livestock Development Authority,” Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said in a letter dated January 12 written to Dr Surujbally.
On Monday, President Bharrat Jagdeo had said he had instructed Dr Surujbally to resign as the livestock body head. In Surujbally’s stead Managing Director of Bounty Farms Ltd, Patrick deGroot was appointed chairman of the GLDA board on the same date.
In the letter, Persaud told Surujbally that him being stripped of the appointment was not as a result of any illegality, but rather in the context of circumstances beyond “our contemplation.”
“The position is supported by an opinion provided by the State’s legal advisor,” Persaud said.
He said he was not aware of any contention regarding Surujbally’s suitability for the position adding that he was sure livestock farmers would be “pained by this politically-contrived campaign to have you removed.
“Please be assured that the corridors of the GLDA will always be available for you to tread whenever you may have the opportunity to do so; and I invite you to continue to provide us with the free flow of ideas to which we have become accustomed.”
Persaud said he was positive that deGroot would avail himself of every opportunity to incorporate Surujbally’s concepts and ideas into the programme of GLDA.
Unconstitutional
Meanwhile, AFC’s presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan at a press briefing yesterday at the party’s Campbellville office said that article 161(1) of the Constitution by Constitutional Amendment Act No 2 of 2000 makes it clear that as Chairman of GECOM, Dr Surujbally can have no other employment.
He noted that Chairman of GLDA is employment which is not “negatived by the smallness of the stipend nor that it is directed to charity and not to the chairman’s pocket.
“Even if he were to take the entirety of his salary from GECOM which is very substantial, and give it is charity, this does not negative it being employment with GECOM,” Ramjattan said.
Ramjattan said as chairman of the livestock body Surujbally would have had to perform duties for another body other than GECOM and it would constitute the breach of the country’s constitutional proscription that he should only be employed with the elections body.
“That is obvious. That is what I think the framers intended and it is also meant that he had to even cut his veterinary duties. It was for that reason too that the arrangement was made for an extremely substantial salary so that it would take care of the off-setting of his veterinary duties and any other employ,” Ramjattan said.
He added that the GECOM chairman’s independence could have been affected adversely because he would have had to be in constant contact with Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, who might become a candidate for the PPP.
“So the independence of constantly talking to the minister, an executive person, to the extent of matters not relating to elections can touch on concerns of matters which affect the independence…”
No objections
At his press conference on Monday, President Jagdeo had said Surujbally had informed him that AFC leader Raphael Trotman had gone to his home and offered no objections to him taking up the position at the livestock body.
But asked about this yesterday Trotman explained that he lives about ten houses away from Surujbally’s home where he operates a veterinary clinic and he had to take the dog to the clinic. He said the GECOM head used the occasion to inform him that he had accepted the livestock appointment and he did not treat it as a formal conversation.
He said had it been formal he would have had persons taking note and he would have briefed the party beforehand that he had been invited to a consultation.
“We did discuss it and what I can say is when he indicated to me that he had accepted the position and that he had intended for all of his remuneration or stipend or whatever came with position to be donated to charity, I did point out that he had placed himself in my view into a compromising position..,” Trotman said.
He said also forewarned Surujbally that he expected that someone would have raised an objection to his appointment and he then said he would have had his lawyers look at the issue he, Trotman, raised. Trotman said he did inform the party about the conversation.
Asked by Stabroek News why the party did not publicly speak on the issue before, Trotman said, “Perhaps we were waiting on your newspaper to do it for us which you did…
“He did say that he would get his lawyers to review it and we are not one to just run into the public about things and news you just hear… We thought firstly that when the appropriate announcement would have been made that there would have been legal advice sought on all sides.”
According to Trotman the AFC is not a party to stand in the way of either free and fair elections or the development of the dairy industry in Guyana which he said has been suffering for many years.