Dear Editor,
The three private criminal charges of alleged felony and misconduct brought against Keith Lowenfield, Chief Election Officer (CEO), pertaining to the execution of his duties can tomorrow happen to any public servant. This includes the headmaster/mistress, general manager, supervisor, chief medical officer, et al. That person may be you, a family member, or someone you know. Public sector workers, in the performance of their duties, are guided by administrative guidelines and policies within the framework of the Constitution and Laws of Guyana that give meaning to their organisation’s existence.
The CEO has been placed on $450,000 bail. This immediately brings into question the need for bail reform in our society. There is evidence in the public domain where elected officials/politicians were placed before the court on more egregious charges and were not given bail but released on their own recognisance. Why such was not granted a worker, at the level of the CEO, this well-known figure?
This case, whereas in this instance it directly impacts the CEO, affects all public servants. It sets a profoundly serious precedent and carries implications for any worker in the future, particularly those who hold public office. Anyone can decide, on any given day, to file a charge against a public servant in the execution of duties. It says that any public servant, in the discharge of official duties, could be denied workplace justice and be placed immediately in a court of law by any public citizen whether or not they understand the issues at hand. This has dire consequences for employment in terms of attracting persons to the public service and creating an independent and professional service. This has consequences for continuity, setting a trend that could lead to purging of the public service should there be a change in government at any time.
This case is an abuse of political privilege and an indication of what is to come. Left unchecked it will spiral across the public sector. In this same election period police officers in the discharge of their duties at the GECOM headquarters had their jobs threatened by Glen Hanoman, the same lawyer representing the complainants in the charges brought against the CEO. What we are witnessing here is public servants being threatened in the execution of their duties. This is a display of tactics of autocratic regimes with the potential for tyrannical vengeance.
The floodgate is now opened for others to carry the commissioners to court and the judges on any ‘frivolous’ charges of misconduct relating to their duties. We are heading into dangerous and murky waters. I am calling on society to mark Friday 24th July and take note because it will come back to haunt us. The deterioration and undermining of administrative principles and practices are a threat to industrial stability and livelihood and the opportunity to perform duties without fear of political or other vindictiveness.
Yours faithfully,
Lincoln Lewis
