Min. Ramjattan urges Officers to “speak out” on collusions, wrongdoing
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-says “silence is violence”
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, September 30, 2018
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan today urged the officers in the Guyana Prison Service to do better in the face of wrong and speak out when collusion is observed.
Minister Ramjattan was delivering remarks at the 35th Thanksgiving Service of the GPS held at the Cecil Kilkenny Training School, Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.
“The fact that we can introspect and say that I should not have done that, or I should not have seen my colleague done that and not speak up. I’ve said on several occasion that silence is violence. If we shut our mouths to the wrongdoings it will occur, so we must speak out,” the Minister of Public Security said.
Minister Ramjattan said the GPS has been seeing a surge of incidents of collusion from some of its members. He called for there to be a higher level of integrity among officers.
“We can have all the infrastructural developments and arrangements in concrete fashion, but if we do not have the professional officers and work staff wanting to do their jobs with integrity, all that is beautiful around you, all come to nought.”
He said great institutions are made up of individuals who upon seeing wrongdoings, speak out.
“They then realised, as we must today, realise that they must grow out of the wrongdoing, grow out of the corruption, grow out of the greed and avarice and they became institutions that are world renowned.”
Director of Prison (ag) Gladwin Samuels said the rogue elements of the Prison Service will sooner or later “weed themselves out”. He said they are like “salt and pepper to a fresh wound.” He noted that some 28 officers were dismissed from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) so far for 2018.
Of the 28 dismissed ranks, 11 were charged for trafficking-related offences. There are currently 12 ranks interdicted from duty, nine of whom are charged either departmentally or criminally for trafficking-related activities.
“Let them remind themselves that in Guyana we say, time longer than twine,” the Prison Director said.
He said to realise success in any area, there must be a “purpose-driven strategy” to drive, integrate and evaluate an Organisation to ensure it creates its desired future.”
Samuels implored all officers to carry out their duties with purpose.
Alexis Rodney.
Image: Jules Gibson.