Govt under fire for double standards

Allegations against GPL’s CEO…  

Former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member, Dr Asquith Rose is criticising the Government over its handling of the matter concerning the allegations of corruption against the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc Colin Welch.

GPL Inc Colin Welch

Dr Rose is contending that it is outright unjust for the Government to justify sending other heads of departments on administrative leave pending investigations but refuses to take action against the acting GPL CEO who is being accused of tampering with the procurement process.
Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson made it clear that there is no need to send Welch on leave pending the investigation into the matter.
Welch was elevated from Deputy CEO Technical, following former CEO Bharat Dindyal being relieved of his duties in August. At that time, Welch was accused of forging his credentials.
The acting CEO has once again found himself in hot water after allegations surfaced of his alleged involvement in the tendering process for a multimillion-dollar meter contract. However, Welch told Guyana Times that the allegations being levelled against him were totally fabricated, and, as such, he saw no “validity” in the accusations.
However, the former AFC Executive posited that it is an inequitable move by the Government to rightfully send other department heads on leave pending allegations of corruption but make an unjustified exception for the GPL CEO.
“It appears what is good for the goose is not good for the gander in Guyana under the [A Partnership for National Unity] APNU/AFC Government?” Dr Rose said, as he reminded that the Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority Khurshid Sattaur and the Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited Winston Brassington were sent on leave pending the outcome of the respective probes.

Public Infrastructure Minister
David Patterson

Against this backdrop, Dr Rose concluded that the Government is pulling wool over the eyes of the people.
“Where are the voices of reason and fairness in the Cabinet? Where is the accountability and transparency promised by this Government? The CEO has been under a cloud of suspicion since his appointment last August for allegedly forging his credentials and yet he was appointed to the position. It seems as though due diligence was not done by the Minister,” he stated.
Dr Rose said it is clear that the Public Infrastructure Minister’s action will cause irreparable damage to the Government and that it could result in its downfall.
“There can be no proper investigation of Mr Welch who is the custodian of all the records and who can influence the outcome in his favour. Isn’t there some level of self-interest and self-preservation here?” he questioned.
He further queried, “Are we witnessing hedonism in public office again as was the case with the last Government?”
Dr Rose expressed that President David Granger, should not sit idly by and allow this to happen as it could result in a huge loss of confidence in the Government by the people.
“The integrity of the Government is at stake and it will pay a heavy price for this injustice. The people will be the judge and the jury,” he concluded.