Granting scholarships misuse of public funds

Dear Editor,
President David Granger is reported on in the State Media as saying “there is nothing corrupt about the granting of scholarships to Ministers Annette Ferguson and Nicolette Henry.” Along the same vein, I also have the Brooklyn Bridge to sell.
First of all, the President and his Cabinet have violated the general principles of granting scholarships in the public services by not acting impartially to all groups, persons, and organisations when these scholarships were distributed. This 2016 scholarship-gate was a giveaway fest for party members. Even the professionals in the Public Service Ministry Training Division expressed private disgust at the level of political interference to one of my friends and they all voted for the Coalition. The line between professionalism and unprofessionalism continues to be crossed every day by this Government; it is like they cannot help themselves and act professionally and within the rules for once.
Secondly, the President is being absolutely dishonest with the public with this statement because he is fully aware once these Ministers commence their programme of studies, they will not be able to give an honest effort in delivering service to the public. They cannot be “sucking cane and blowing the whistle” at the same time. They are either Ministers or students during this period, but undoubtedly they cannot be both since a Minister is a full-time effort.
Thirdly, this act of doling out these funds to these Ministers evidently represents a failure to protect and spend public funds in the best interest of the nation. This act of having the Minister with one foot in and one foot out is nothing but public fraud, public waste and misappropriation of public funds by the Granger government. Any high school child will know that this act by the Administration is public corruption.
The duty of a minister is to fulfil their mandate in good faith and with a full obligation to the citizens of Guyana. How can a Minister who is busy doing an assignment for a school project be able to offer the Guyanese people top service in the middle of a seawall breakaway? That Minister will never be 100 per cent on the job and what is the most important role of a Minister – making decisions. So we can expect many clumsy and ill-thought decisions by these Ministers in the ensuing period.
In conclusion, this scholarship situation is nothing but a wanton abuse of the rules and the misuse of public office for private gains for selected persons.
This is an immoral commitment of State funds for Government officials that bind the taxpayers in a relationship that has very little value for money for them and all the benefits for a select few. The mere fact that these scholarships were offered to sitting Ministers illustrates that they are gaining financially from a transaction that comes into direct conflict with their responsibilities to the Government and people of Guyana. So this last minute whitewash statement to justify the act cannot and will not erase the black mark concerning this unethical abuse of the Treasury. We must reject and combat these immoral acts of abuse by the Granger administration on all fronts.

Sincerely,
Surujdai Lilmohan