Dear Editor,
I wish to express thanks for your editorial of Saturday February 22, 2025, that highlighted the case of `Millie Miguel and incompetence.’ I listened to the press conference of the Ministry of Human Services and read the other releases in the daily papers and news agencies, and I was wondering what happened to investigative journalism, who is brave enough to ask the Childcare & Protection Agency what action was taken after receiving the report and if the action was in keeping with the Child Protection Laws and their responsibilities. Your editorial has restored my faith that there is still hope of us getting it right to save Guyana’s children, the most vulnerable. There is a need for an inquiry.
The Child Protection Agency (CPA) appears to be currently without highly effective professional leadership. I will quote here what Dr. Ann Greene, the former director, who at the ceremony for her honorary doctorate, said in her speech to the new graduates, “Certification is the document you received that says you have successfully completed your course of study, but this does not mean that you are qualified for a particular position. You must take your gown to town – be humble and continue learning by being teachable.”
There are serious limitations in the new leadership of the CPA, and a number of staff members are unmotivated and dissatisfied. Further, this seems to be the trend with the other Departments of the Ministry of Human Services. Urgent intervention is needed to understand the present position of the execution of responsibilities and to listen to the grievances of the professional staff, who keep highlighting these by circulating unsigned documents. An intervention is needed at this stage to get things right.
Change begins with accountability.
Once again thank you for a great editorial.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
