Dear Editor,
The recent appointment of Brigadier George Lewis (ret’d) as Deputy CEO of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has raised eyebrows once again. What is surprising with this particular appointment is that a former head of the army with the same rank as the sitting President accepts a deputy CEO’s job when others with a much lower rank get cushier and better paid jobs. Brig Lewis deserved better.
Guyanese continue to express concern over the sidelining of competent and suitably qualified civilians who apply to fill top posts in the public service, state boards and public corporations, but whose names are rejected by government which opts instead, to place retired military personnel in these top positions. As a consequence, competent and suitably qualified civilians have been left in the lurch.
Then there is the matter of the Gecom chair, although the process took a new turn recently when the President invited the Leader of the Opposition to a meeting to consult on the matter. Mr Granger is obviously hoping to cut a deal over a name he has in mind. And he wants to do that before the judge rules on the matter. But as the old adage goes, ‘the longest rope has an end.’
The employment of former top-ranking military personnel in state and government positions is not going down well with the Guyanese populace; in fact it is the talk of the town.
Yours faithfully,
Clement J Rohee
