SUPERCATS
Nov 06, 2016 , http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....016/11/06/supercats/
The Leader of the Opposition is reported to have said that the government is outsourcing the development of its green agenda. The issue here is not whether this accusation is true; the central issue is whether there is, within the present administration, the capacity to develop such a plan without external input.
During the debate on the 2015 Budget there were some striking revelations. It was revealed, for example, that some of the highest paid persons in the government sector, both under the PPPC and under APNU+AFC worked in the climate change sector. The new government appointed its own personnel when it took office to replace some from the PPP who had left, and they paid them handsomely.
The high salaries paid to persons within the environmental sector by the APNU+AFC government indicates that this is a priority sector and the administration is attempting to ensure that it can attract and retain highly skilled persons to this sector by paying the new recruits just as much, and perhaps even better than what the PPPC paid the persons it had appointed to such positions.
APNU+AFC, when it was in opposition, had been highly critical of the PPPC. The parties had accused the previous administration of paying their cronies high salaries for jobs. Well, based on what has been made public, not much has changed. Some of those who replaced the PPPC appointees in public offices are actually working for just as much as what was earned under the PPPC.
In the past, the highly paid employees would usually be found in the financial and economic sectors. So the fact that today, the most highly paid workers in Guyana are to be found in the environmental and e-governance sectors, shows the emphasis the government is placing on these sectors.
Can we be certain, however, that the best persons were selected for these top posts? Those appointed may well have what it takes to do the job, but without inviting persons to apply for the positions, can the public be sure that the best persons available have been selected.
One of the areas of concern has been previous experience in the fields in which persons have been employed. The public needs to be assured that those appointed have actual experience in the particular areas in which they have been appointed, and at the level at which they have been appointed. Top positions are not supposed to be on the learning curve.
The occupiers of such positions must satisfy the public that they can indeed handle their new jobs because they have done such work before and at the same or higher levels.
There is always a danger in appointing persons to positions, because suppose you find that they cannot do the job, you will then be forced to go out to a competitive process, which is what should have been done in the first instance.
The persons appointed may well have what it takes. It is for them to prove that and prove it quickly. The government must show the members of the public how it is getting its worth of the high salaries being paid. If it is true that the development of the green plan is being outsourced, this would be unfortunate, because the super salaries being paid to some persons should ensure that the plan should be developed locally.
This past week we learnt of more super salaries. We learnt that the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Public Procurement Commission will each be paid 1.3 million and 1.2 million dollars respectively per month. This is unbelievable.
The Public Procurement Commission is merely an oversight body that has to ensure that certain systems are in place. They are no different from government Board members who are paid a miserly stipend each month. The members of the PPPC do not have to evaluate contracts.
They do not have to award contracts.
The constitution is quite clear on the responsibilities of the Public Procurement Commission. It is tasked with monitoring procurement systems to ensure that they are in accordance with the law. It does the same for procurement bodies, procurement legislation and policies. It investigates complaints, but can only propose solutions. It does not have the power of compelling government to do anything. So why are its members, who are merely performing oversight functions, being paid more than those in the National Tender Administration?
And to think that the Public Procurement Commission still has to appoint a Secretariat and a Chief Executive Officer! How much will all of that end up costing the treasury?