On Sunday, this newspaper reported that Charrandass Persaud, the disgraced and disgraceful former high commissioner to India was still on the payroll of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where “the accounts department has been instructed to keep sending his money to his account.” This unbelievable state of affairs was confirmed by none other than Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd, who, in response to the Sunday Stabroek’s query as to why the former high commissioner was still being paid, stated that although Persaud had been recalled, his services had not been terminated. “He still has a contract with us… it was not that he was let go.” Incredibly, the Guyanese taxpayer is saddled with paying Persaud a salary.
No stranger to the limelight, Persaud’s notoriety was gained first from siding with the then opposition in the parliamentary no-confidence vote, and second from embarrassing the nation with his vulgar display towards a citizen of India while posted there. His crass behaviour was unbecoming of any envoy, much less a head of mission.
Persaud is a Canadian citizen, who, according to sources, “.has been in and out of the country”. The nature of his duties or functions at Takuba Lodge have not been determined since he has not been there since his recall, and attempts by this newspaper to contact him via cell phone and text message proved futile. Since he is classified as a Foreign Service Officer as per contract, it is safe to presume that Persaud is still eligible to be the holder of a diplomatic passport. One wonders whether the former high commissioner is still privileged to use this document on his travels “in and out of the country” although to the best of our information he is no longer representing our nation.
Now that the cat is out of the bag and confirmation has been received from the best source possible, there are several disturbing concerns that arise. There seems to be no end in sight to loyalty to party members continuing to take precedence over matters of national interest. The government claimed to have been unaware of the incident in India, which had occurred on 1st August, 2021, over a year before it became public knowledge with the surfacing of a video that showed Persaud cursing and insulting Ms Ghosh.
It is clear that for all intents and purposes, Persaud’s vile conduct in India, which has been thoroughly documented in this column, never triggered any serious response of note from his employers. Hence, why should anyone be at all surprised by this latest revelation? Had the standard protocol been followed, Persaud should have been fired instantly, given a week or two at the very most to wrap up his affairs in India – he was only there 18 months – and the payments owed to him per the termination clause in his contract expedited. Instead Persaud, in conversation with President Irfaan Ali, apparently agreed to return to Guyana on his own terms and remained in India for several months. Prior to his departure, the shameless former diplomat hosted a lavish farewell function – presumably paid for by Guyanese taxpayers – where he rendered an excuse of sorts, failing to apologise to Ms Ghosh, the target of his now infamous tirade, thus further embarrassing the nation.
One has to wonder how many more Charandass Persauds there are out there on the payroll of taxpayers dollars without any defined duties? Diplomacy and protocol, never a strong point of the current government, obviously continue to remain in the ‘not important’ file. The possible issuance and use of a diplomatic passport by anyone not on government duty or official assignment is a sure recipe for abuse and further international embarrassment.
As the saying goes ‘every rope has an end’ and while Persaud’s contract with the Government of Guyana as a foreign service officer reportedly expires in December, he might not have reached the end of his. Thus we patiently await to see where he will resurface next. In the hasty pursuit to attain the trappings of oil wealth, decorum has been shoved onto the back burner; unfortunately becoming collateral damage. The Charrandass Persaud saga is a sad reflection of the image our diplomatic corps presents to the world.
