Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Emil Mc Garrell, was on Friday removed from that position as Government reshuffles the operations of key entities for enhanced management.
Guyana Times understands that a replacement for the outgoing PS has not yet been named.
Former Permanent Secretary Emil Mc Garrell
Just last year, Mc Garrell – while in the capacity of PS under the dissolved Communities Ministry – had refused to countersign pertinent documents for monies to be disbursed at the Local Government Ministry. As a result, salaries and dues were delayed.
After complaints by senior officials within the Local Government Commission, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had contended that the Ministry had no legal authority to manage any financial affairs of the Local Government Commission, judging from the Local Government Commission Act, which provides for the agency to manage its own finances, once approved by the National Assembly.
Prior to 2015, Mc Garrell was the PS for the Housing and Water Ministry. However, when the then APNU/AFC administration took office in 2015, he was reassigned to the Communities Ministry.
As at Thursday, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government had appointed several new Permanent Secretaries to serve at key Ministries.
In a statement, the Office of the President (OP) announced these appointments. These include Malcolm Watkins as the new Permanent Secretary at the Health Ministry. Watkins had served as Procurement Manager and Deputy Director of the Materials Management Unit (MMU) under the previous PPP/C Administration.
The Amerindian Affairs Ministry also got a new PS in the person of Sharon Hicks. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy and a Certificate in Developmental Psychology.
Hicks previously held the position of Management Development Officer at the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, and she also held the position of Auditor as well as Internal Affairs Investigator at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas has been appointed as the Permanent Secretary at the Home Affairs Ministry. She holds a Diploma in Accountancy from the University of Guyana and a Certificate in Project Management. Thomas previously served as the Assistant Accountant at the Office of the President.
Meanwhile, Vladim Persaud is the new PS at the Public Works Ministry. He previously served as Head of the Finance Department at the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), and earlier, at the Finance Ministry, as an Economic and Financial Analyst II, in the Budget, Fiscal and Monetary Division.
The new Permanent Secretary at the Human Services and Social Security Ministry is Shannielle E Hoosein-Outar. She holds a BSc in Business Management and a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Guyana.
On the other hand, Andre Ally has been appointed PS at the Housing and Water Ministry. He had previously served at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) as the Head of ICT from 2008 to 2017. Ally holds a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business, and several professional IT certificates.
The new Permanent Secretary at the Labour Ministry is Bishram Kuppen. He is a former two-term elected Councillor of the Georgetown City Council. Kuppen previously served as a Corporate Management Officer at an international company abroad for many years, and a Commissioned Officer of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Additionally, the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry has a new PS in the person of Sharon Roopchand-Edwards. She is an economist by training, and previously held the position of Principal Academic Engagement Officer within the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Guyana.
