By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – President of the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), Peter Persaud, through his lawyers, has filed a $10M lawsuit against the government of Guyana, pertaining to the dismissal of 1,972 Community Support Officers (CSOs).
Court documents seen by iNews revealed that the CSOs are all persons of Amerindian descent, who were employed under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme of the then Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Representing Persaud is former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who claims that the dismissal is contrary to Articles 40, 149, 149(A), 149(D) and 149(G) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Chapter 1:01, unconstitutional and is against the rules of natural justice.
He claims that it is also discriminatory, capricious, arbitrary, unreasonable and against the legitimate expectation of the persons affected. According to the court document, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Nigel Dharamlall revealed that the payroll to pay 1,972 of these CSOs was already prepared for payments for the month of April, 2015.
However, after the change of government caused by the General and Regional Elections held on May 11, these payments were withheld and thus far no payment has been made thereof.
It was noted that the CSOs were paid a monthly stipend of $30,000 upon submission of monthly reports validated by the Village Council and or Community Development Officer (CDO).
“These CSOs and their dependents rely upon these monies as a source of their livelihood and the cessation of this revenue flow into the village economy will have devastating consequences upon the Amerindian communities throughout the hinterland. I am informed by the said CSOs and do verily believe that to date, they have not been given a reason for their non-payment nor were they offered an opportunity to respond to any questions and/or concerns regarding the continuation of their engagement and/or employment,” Persaud says in his affidavit.
He believes that the termination of this programme was intentionally done as an act of economic and financial sabotage against the indigenous people of Guyana “driven by a political, ethnic and racial motive.”
I love when some bloggers call out these jagdeo”s cult followers..aka soupies.
So what is your plan to stop the victimization , I am eager to hear it!!!
dougla, I seriously challenge your “nom de plume”. Are you seriously, and I really mean “SERIOUSLY” advocating that the “court” decides who is “mad” and who is “sensible”? You even go further to posit that the “court” decides who is “racial” and who is “non racial”? Which court, may I ask?
I would love to hear the facts of this matter when it is brought up in court.
Why don’t you question the current Minister of Health? He is from the East Bank of the Essequibo River and at one time as an eye specialist testing and recommending spectacles (I MIGHT be wrong), Minister George (Pompeii) Norton flaunted flowing Amerindian “locks”. Come on Pompeii, step up to the base!
The ameridian minister discriminating against his own race?
When you pledge your life and limb in service to country and Guyanese you would have earn the right to call loyal patriotic guyanese “Military cabal”. Thus, I can’t dignity your response with an answer.
My position stands; ” The government should validate if they were doing PPP political work and sue PPP for all monies paid to refund the government and pay for the suit. “
Ok Bobby so I guess firing the State Employed Ministers and top GRA employees would allow them to sue the current Government, So you are saying its ok to Fire Ministers and GRA State Employed workers but no one else? this makes it racial? or are you just so PPP that you became stupid. So because they are Amerindian, they get to sue but only them? you are ignorant, not me.
Tommy if you are speaking to me, than you are as stupid as Anil. If not, sorry. But I know exactly what’s going on, its very easy to read as I learned years ago, and I also Know that Anil has offered to sue the new government for a good friend of mine that was very PPP and was wronged by them as they told him don’t worry when PPP wins they will fix it, then when PPP lost, Anil offered to sue the new president, talk about 2 faces. I read what is in front of me and the PPP are no one, and will never rule Guyana Again, so go home and stick your head in a pillow with Jagdeo and hide like he did when PPP lost. lolololololol
And who is going to validate the others doing PNC work and sue the PNC for all monies paid to them?
Could you explain to me what the tens of thousands sitting in the government ministries do?
Totally irrelevant. On the face of it this seems a racist act aimed at victimizing people perceived to be non supporters of Granger and gang. We must not condone this kind of behavior. We must all condemn it!
Could someone explain to me what 1,972 people do.
The ruling military cabal has enough intelligence (data and information) on what happens when, where and they have concocted an evidently good strategy that hammered the PPP/C Government on corruption so much so that even the previous President, Donald Ramoutar acknowledged corruption was an issue stymieing development.
The bottom line is that the ruling cabal knows pin pointedly that these dismissed native Guyanese were engaged in legitimate development work. The problem arises where they, the ruling military cabal are not confident that these folks voted for them or whether these fellow Guyanese will use their functions to organize against them. So just dismiss them and strategically rehire them selectively those whom they have confidence in or as the order of they day goes… who brings news against the previous government will have a lease of life…. but what goes around comes around… a beautiful thing called “Karma” …. just like the crime wave threatening the term of the PNC/AFC in Office even before 100 days are up !!!!
blackhawksecurityguyana ,you asked a very foolish question . I’ll however attempt to put some sense in your thick skull. These people became government employees on the day they were employed.. Whoever employed them were acting as agents of the state not at the personal level . Therefore the state would have to bear the costs of their employment. If the state terminates their employment unjustly or unfairly the state not the agents, will be made to pay the costs as ordered by the courts . You gets me ? You understands me ?Well if you don’t ,you’ll have to continue wallowing in your ignorance . I hope you sees what I mean ,blackhawksecurityguyana.
It is a glaring act of racial discrimination by this current government, plain and simple.
U fool u don’t have a clue about anything
Let the Court decide who mad and sensible, who racial and who non racial and so on,,
This Peter Persaud guy was once very vocal against the PPP when he was with Asgar Ali’s GDP – then he jumped into the welcoming arms of the PPP and, as they say, was “drinking milk” – but as Guyana’s National poet, Martin carter, wrote many years ago, “A mouth is muzzled by the food it eats to live.”
How they expect to get pay hike and increase allowance if they dont put these poor amerindian people out of a job ?this is the same government who was preaching unity before election,where is the Amerindian minister? guess he is white now.
The government should validate if they were doing PPP political work and sue PPP for all monies paid to refund the government and pay for the suit.
Why don’t they sue the people that promised this payment? they set the payment for April, knowing that it was the month for the elections, thus allowing this to fall under the new Government.
The new government needs to verify why there were so many people were needed for these positions, and if the money has been paid every month on time by they former Government, than the current Government could pay this measly 50,000 USD.
Anil Nandlall is just pissed off that he doesn’t have a job and is now suing the Government because he has nothing to do with his life.
It doesn’t require a petty lawsuit like this to get attention, no one wants him to represent them so he has to find clients so he can strike back at this Government for firing him.
Guyana is not short on mad people!