Following a visit to Plaisance from Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker, residents of the village are accusing the minister of having “double standards” and are maintaining their selection of village overseer as the best choice.
Whittaker met with councillors of the Industry/Plaisance Interim Management Committee (IMC) on Friday and called for an end to protest action staged by villagers, a release from his office said.
Whittaker said that the new Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) overseer Orlando Jardine was the best choice and that the man had been selected fairly after having been subjected to standard selection procedure.
However, residents of Plaisance maintain that their choice, veteran Deborah McDowell who has been within the NDC for 15 years, should be appointed as overseer. They further accuse the minister of exhibiting signs of double standard.
“In 2012 to 2013 while dealing with the town clerk issue Minister Whittaker was quoted as saying, ‘certification is not the only criteria that is used when selecting an officer and that years of service was very vital also,’” Plaisance resident Shawn Austin noted. He went on, “This was in defence of his colleague and friend Carol Sooba yet, in the case of Ms Deborah McDowell who served with distinction over 15 years in various capacities in the council…Minister Whittaker propagates that certification matters most.”
Austin further said that McDowell was also qualified and holds a diploma along with other certificates.
“In all her years of service, at no time has her [McDowell’s] competence and professionalism been questioned so why all the troubles now?” the resident asked before adding, “Minister Whittaker would be more useful and show that he is a politician who is upright and serving the people if he uses his energies in persuading the President and Cabinet to hold Local Government Elections, which is constitutionally due over 17 years.”
Whittaker had admitted that McDowell had indeed served the NDC with dedication over the years; however, he said, she had failed to meet the requirements necessary for the position.
“Eight applicants including Ms Deborah McDowell applied for the position but only five met the requirements and were shortlisted. Even though Ms McDowell is a dedicated worker, she did not meet all of the requirements,” Whittaker said. He went on, “She has done nothing to me and I have done nothing to her.”
Whittaker further said that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development acted “within the confines of the law and protocol which governs the recruitment procedure.”
Opposition Leader David Granger on Friday called for an investigation into claims by the Plaisance residents to land they say the government is now seeking to possess and warned that the situation could escalate if nothing is done.
Residents of the East Coast Demerara community were furious that Whittaker had blatantly overlooked their reservations since July that the acting overseer McDowell was being replaced by a less qualified person.
As a result, the residents turned out last week in their numbers and successfully blocked the newly-appointed overseer from entering the Industry/Plaisance NDC building.
