Political patronage obvious by APNU/AFC Govt

Dear Editor,
I refer to Guyana Times article (Fri, April 15th, 2016) under the caption “Harmon clears air on media attacks – says 34 political advisers appointed by APNU/AFC…” I have been following the ongoing discussion in the local media on the matter of appointments of advisers to Ministers.
It is an interesting discussion with relevant questions such as who should appoint the advisers whether it should be the President or the concerned Minister? Should the advisers be paid or their services be pro bono (honorific)? Should a transparent process be undertaken if taxpayers’ money is used to pay the advisers especially if these advisers are akin to public servants?
But much has been said about only one of the 34 appointed advisers, BK Tiwari who was appointed by Minister Joseph Harmon. There is a startling hypocrisy about this entire situation whereby it seems like the new darling of the Government, Minister Raphael Trotman is given the favoured treatment for doing the exact thing and even worse without even getting a slap on the wrist, and certainly nothing like the public attack that is being unfairly meted out to Minister Harmon.
I make reference to the advisor of Minister Trotman, a person by the name of Clayton Hall. For those who have not been following the news, a few years ago in the early days of the AFC as a party, Mr Hall had been the campaign/Finance Manager of the AFC. The records are there for anyone to peruse.
Mr Hall was hired by Minister Trotman (not the President) to be the adviser to him first when he was Minister of Governance, and now automatically transferred now that he is Minister of Natural Resources.
Hall is being paid handsomely as well – any quick check into the budget of the Natural Resources Ministry will show that he is being paid with benefits close to G million a month when one adds up his salary, gratuity and other benefits. These all come from Guyanese taxpayers’ dollars. He regularly goes out on overseas travel to represent the Ministry and is paid again from taxpayers’ dollars.
All of this currently prevails and yet with the deafening silence from the transparency watchdogs (groups and individuals alike), no one seems to care. What hypocrisy. The Government should decide on one position and not varying positions based on the specific individual. As an immediate action, I call for the immediate investigation into the appointment and future retaining of Clayton Hall as adviser to the Minister of Natural Resources and while this is being done, there should be an immediate suspension of his duties awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
This matter of advisers and appointments of such persons in positions like these is worthy of a Commission of Inquiry. If the results of the investigation show that there has been a double standard and there is a misfit either for purposes of lack of qualifications, experience or overall lack of competence, then there should be an immediate revocation of Hall’s appointment as adviser to Minister Trotman.
If the APNU/AFC Government is really serious about correcting the ills of the previous Administration, it should start by immediately ceasing the payment of advisers with taxpayers’ dollars and have them work pro bono or paid with other non-taxpayers’ financing.
It should be noted as well that Mr Hall is a retiree and is still employed by Government in a public service role. Why our young people are not employed when so many are looking for jobs and are suitably qualified? The former campaign manager for the AFC, Mr Clayton Hall has been reputed, at least from three recent accounts that came to my attention over the past week , of “persuading’’ miners specifically to “contribute” funds to his party.
This kind of practice should not be tolerated since the Private Sector deserves better . It is my view as well that Mr Hall was the main person responsible for giving Minister Trotman wrong advice on the matter regarding forest concession allocation causing him to erroneously say that all the forests have been allocated out with none remaining.
Interestingly, President David Granger said that the APNU/AFC Government does not indulge in the granting of political patronage.
To be frank, if Clayton Hall’s role and appointment paid by taxpayers’ dollars is not political patronage, then I don’t know what it is.
I do hope that these concerns are considered and addressed by the new Government as it looks to restore confidence in the Guyanese working people. For the betterment of all and not only a few or is Clayton Hall one of the 34 political advisers appointed by the APNU/AFC?

Yours sincerely,
Carl Lucas