Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 10, 2017 News
…Deputy Director alleges victimization
In the face of the recent revelation involving the Director of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Christopher Jones, and his Personal Assistant (PA) Brian Smith; more is emerging about the relationship between the two men.
In a letter dated April 27, the substantive Deputy Director Melissa Dow-Richardson, wrote to the Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry, Reginald Brotherson, venting her frustration at the way she was being treated by the Director and his PA.
An excerpt from the letter stated, “Mr. Jones keeps insisting in the presence of staff and persons visiting that his PA is the Assistant Director and persons should report to him in his absence.”
In the letter to the PS, Richardson said that the ongoing situation has caused confusion among the staff. Further, the woman said that the situation has caused a prevailing air of fear at the agency. She alleged that female staff members were being mistreated but were afraid to speak out.
Additionally, Richardson stated that she normally shares office space with Smith whom she claimed has been willfully disruptive.
In her two-page letter to Brotherson, Richardson chronicles a series of events, the willful slamming of doors; loud noise or uncomfortable silence. The deputy also alleged that there were subtle acts of sabotage on the part of Smith.
Contextualizing the issue, the woman said that there were unexplained information technology (IT) instabilities. Printers were turned off when she attempted to use them.
To add to Richardson’s woes air conditioning (AC) units were turned off or rendered inoperable. As if that was not enough, the woman said that she is constantly being blocked from accessing information flowing in and out of the Commission.
In what reads like a soap opera script, in the letter Richardson said Smith told staff members in the accounts, coaching and administrative department not to speak to her.
Richardson resorted to using her own vehicle to do the Commission’s work after she found some drivers’ behaviour at the Commission objectionable. “The manners of drivers towards me as a senior female official have been provocative.”
In the letter, Richardson explained that she needed private space to do one of her Caribbean Leadership Project (CPL) leadership sessions and she asked that this be facilitated by her Director.
Richardson was given all assurances that this would prevail but on the day of the leadership session, the woman said that the Director’s PA Brian Smith was sitting across the room from her.
This was despite there being other additional space and Smith having access to his Director’s office which was free at the time. The woman said that she was made aware that the above mentioned are all part of a ploy to besmirch her character and create a case against her, in which she said the existing administrative manager is complicit.
Richardson said that all means were explored to resolve the issue but her failure to get this done was the reason why the intervention of the Public Service Ministry was sought.
Yesterday, this newspaper broke a story about the NSC Director Jones paying Brian Smith over $3M by way of a cheque, but the only problem was that Smith never did any work to warrant such a sum.
Jones when contacted said that he had no knowledge of the issue that was brought to his attention. However, in a letter dated January 26, 2017 the Director wrote to one of the Ministers at that Ministry saying “I received your letter of February 20, 2017 Re: Alleged Infractions reported against the NSC… I note that your concern is that of alleged infractions that may have been committed…I will prefer not to respond to any inquiry unless it is channeled through the Commission”.
Information has surfaced of Jones spending over $23M in grants, when the National Assembly had only approved $5M. The accountant informed the Director that only the $5M could have been spent but this advice was not heeded.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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