Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman said yesterday that the appointments to various state boards may have been rushed and some appointments are likely to be readjusted.
Trotman said government was aware of the multiple criticisms of the make-up of the various boards, including but not limited to the public perception that there was little dialogue prior to the naming of the persons appointed to 20 of 32 boards so far.
“Appointments have been made but I believe some of them may come under review and be adjusted accordingly,” he said.
When asked by Stabroek News to elaborate on the selection process Trotman said he knew it seemed as though the process was done rather quickly and appointments initiated by a small collective of government members, however that was not the case.
“In our rush to appoint boards notice may have been short,” Trotman stated when the Stabroek News questioned the timeframe within which certain board members were told of the chairmanships or directorships. Stabroek News was reliably informed that many board members were informed of their positions a day or in some cases a few hours prior to the details emerging in the press.
Trotman said all of the persons appointed had previously expressed interest and as a result were considered. He noted that ministers were asked to submit names for the respective boards and there was a mandate that called for certain requirements to be maintained.
Trotman also acknowledged that the various boards lacked gender and ethnic balance. He said at the post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency that “there is not sufficient gender or ethnic balance.
Like I said we used the old guidelines, but certainly Cabinet has decided that we are going to have to and will be coming up, very, very shortly, with new guidelines. We realize the old guidelines can put us into political jeopardy.”
Among those objecting was the Executive Committee of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), which referred to the composition as “an affront to women.”
The GHRA, in a press statement, noted that only “three (9.4%) of the new chairs of the 32 State Boards in the finance sector,” are women.
Further, GHRA said, although the government has only announced the full membership of 20 out of the 32 boards thus far, “only 18% are females which represents 22 persons out of a possible 125; and of that figure, one woman serves on three boards and another on two.”
According to the human rights body “all government functionaries responsible should feel ashamed.”
A number of human rights activists in a letter to the Stabroek News referred to the appointments as a clear signal of “the true status of women in Guyana and how they are viewed by the present political directorate.”
These activists include individuals and representatives of organisations such as the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association, ChildLink Inc, Red Thread Women’s Network, Help & Shelter, Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Grassroot Women Across Race and Citizens Against Rape.
