Dear Editor,
The recent removal of Khurshid Sattaur and others sends a message that no one is safe at a public service position unless one is a known supporter of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime.

The removal (termination, firing) of thousands of Government employees from their jobs on account of political affiliation and ethnicity will affect productivity in so many Government offices. Many of these employees were dismissed instantly following the takeover of the APNU/AFC regime. It come with significant loss to the treasury as replacing workers (or sending them on leave – euphemism for termination) cost taxpayers a lot of money. The population should begin to query the eventual cost to the taxpayer of continued questionable actions of high State officials.

People are being fired with a stroke of a pen under various guises of auditing or streamlining offices, etc. And it has been happening with regular frequency at the whim and fancy of the regime. Such forced removals of workers reinforce a dreaded fear that people will be fired on account of race and political retribution, should the Government change. The worst fear has been confirmed.

The APNU/AFC regime has put too many people on the breadline. As a reminder, during the campaign, APNU/AFC said there would be no ethnic victimisation or political retribution. But that is exactly what has been happening. The regime has been giving marching orders to those hired by the preceding Administration; it is an ominous sign of worse to come. It is similar to what the People’s National Congress (PNC) regime did to workers on account of their race and party affiliation after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was removed from office in December 1964. Political history is repeating itself.  The new regime has been replacing people perceived to be PPP sympathisers with APNU/AFC supporters.

Nothing has really changed since the new political dispensation took over in May. Labour unions have not been speaking out against the firing of workers, probably also because of their own political and racial affiliation with the Government. Political and racial patronage has returned with a vengeance. People are being hired who were/are political activists. It is expected that a party’s activists would get preference for non-professional type assignments (not as CEO, Auditors, etc).

Removing people to make way for one’s own favoured supporters is not the way to go. So far, those who were terminated are far more qualified than the new hires who replaced them. APNU/AFC is sending a wrong signal. It is disappointing that activists David Hinds, Tacuma Ogunseye, Eusi Kwayana, Abu Bakr, etcetera are not speaking out on the termination of people on account of political and racial affiliation. Is it a case that members of their own race are not affected that they are silent? Or is it a case of members of their own parties are the beneficiaries and as such, they will not criticize the regime?
The firing of workers on account of race and party affiliation is wrong and must be condemned.

The unions need to take action to prevent further firings and restore those who lost their jobs; they have families to feed. Political activists who were vocal in their attack on the PPP for perceived ill-governance should not be silent now. They need be reminded that people were silent when the PNC fired or replaced workers based on party and racial affiliation, eventually leading to the rise of the dictatorship. The country may very well be heading in that direction unless activists and labour leaders speak out now.

Activists and human rights campaigners should never trust politicians; they must stand up now so as not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram