New State Boards to be announced weekend
SEVERAL State-owned entities are to receive new Boards of Directors over the weekend, as the government is “assiduously” working to reach a definite decision.Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, made the announcement at the post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday. He said that some Boards have already been constituted, and the names of the new directors will be published by this weekend.
As for those Boards that have not yet been constituted, Trotman said that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon along with his Ministry of Governance are working “assiduously” for that process to be completed soon, possibly by this weekend also.
The new administration has halted Board meetings of State-owned entities since the replacement of ministers. This was because several top officials of the previous administration had been sitting on these Boards, and deals were inked without the then Opposition being briefed in the National Assembly.
Aside from that, reports were also going the rounds about the misuse and removal of State assets from most State-owned entities. As such, the government felt there was need to launch a State Asset Recovery Unit to ensure the return of those assets.
The companies at reference are the Atlantic Hotel Inc., which supervises the activities of the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, along with its parent company, the National Investment and Commercial Investment Ltd (NICIL), which was accused of inking deals without proper authorisation; contracts such as the Berbice Bridge and the Marriott Hotel.
Other companies that are expected to get new Boards are the Guyana Power and Light (GPL); the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC); the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); the Guyana Gold Board (GGB); the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil); the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) among other entities.
An interim management committee has been managing the operations of GuySuCo since the removal of its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Raj Singh. The company will therefore receive a new Board of Directors to safeguard fiscal sustainability.
Meanwhile,the Guyana Public Service Union has called for the installation of a new Board of Directors for the GPHC. The GPHC is also among the other State-owned entities that will get new Boards over the weekend.
Additionally, all State-media entities, such as the Guyana Chronicle and the National Communications Network (NCN), will also get new Boards of Directors come this weekend.
