REO prevents Region 5 Chairman from attending NDIA board meeting

Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice), Ovid Morrison, has prevented Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal from attending the monthly meeting of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority Board (NDIA).
Reports reaching this newspaper are that the REO allegedly did not make the vehicle available to take the chairman to the meeting on Wednesday. According to the Regional Chairman, on Tuesday he informed his driver of his schedule for the following day, which included his attendance at the meeting.

“The driver went to Mr Morrison, who is the REO, late Tuesday afternoon for him to authorize the purchase of fuel. Mr Morrison refused to do so, stating that the Regional Chairman has to send him a copy of the invitation that came from National Drainage and Irrigation Authority,” Ramphal told this publication.
The Regional Chairman further stated that he later tried to make contact with the REO, but to no avail. He said that when the REO finally answered, he told him he wanted to see the invitation for the board meeting from the NDIA before he authorises the purchase of fuel.
Ramphal claims it is not a normal practice, since never in the past, working with two previous REOs, had any one of them requested such document, and/or tried to monitor the movements of the regional chairman.

He said he can only see this strange behaviour of the REO as one of retaliation because of him engaging a group of security guards recently who were not paid, and Morrison appeared to be very upset over the fact that the guards were getting the attention of the Chairman, since he himself (Morrison) had refused to address their concerns.
When the meeting was called, Morrison chased the guards out of the Regional Boardroom, stating that he wanted to use it.
“Is this the price elected officials have to pay when they make representation on behalf of the people of this dear land?” Ramphal questioned.
He lamented that many of the drainage and irrigation issues that are affecting the residents and farmers of Region Five could have been addressed at the NDIA board meeting. “Now those issues will take another month, or even longer, to be addressed because of the REO’s disrespectfulness and uncaring attitude, the Regional Chairman told Guyana Times.
(Andrew Carmichael)