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Mar 13, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
If the GRA Commissioner-General feels that Uncle Freddie’s little matchbox house, which only appears imposing because it is elevated on concrete stilts, constitutes a mansion, I wonder how he would describe a structure within the very area in which he lives, and which was just recently completed by someone with a salary comparable to Uncle Freddie’s.
We know of course that the Commissioner-General, in questioning the home of Uncle Freddie, is merely engaging in irrelevancies.
He is also doing the same when he accuses this columnist and this newspaper of mischief for having ignored the fact that the genesis of the polygraph testing of his employees was the alleged corrupt practices which entailed a major investigation by a multi-agency Task Force.
If the Commissioner-General wishes to believe that that is the genesis of the polygraph tests, he is free to delude himself. But he himself has admitted that these tests were not of his making, i.e. he was not the one who ordered these tests. The question is who did.
The decision to undertake polygraph testing emerged after criticisms of this country’s anti-narcotics efforts. The President of Guyana is on public record as saying then that he had asked the Americans to polygraph the employees of CANU, but they had come up with a flimsy excuse.
The Government of Guyana knows that next month the region will host the Summit of the Americas. United States President Barack Obama is expected to attend. The Government of Guyana knows that one of the main issues of strategic importance to the American Government is narco-trafficking.
This is why the polygraph tests were done on CANU. It was done so that Guyana could have a revamped CANU, and thereby deflect criticism that it is not doing enough in the fight against drug-trafficking. The Government can now boast that with its own resources it went ahead and did polygraph testing on CANU, something that the Americans were unwilling to fund. The polygraph tests are therefore just political gimmickry.
If they were indeed, as Sattaur claims, related to the recent investigation conducted into the alleged illegal importation of beer, if this is the genesis of these tests, how come the twenty or more officers who Sattaur claims were put under intense scrutiny were not subjected to polygraphs?
How come persons not fingered in that alleged fraud were instead selected to undergo tests?
One of the criticisms that have been made about the tests at the GRA was its selective nature. We were told that those who were selected were persons who interfaced with the public.
Sattaur is now saying he was misrepresented.
He is saying that when he was asked why the Deputy Commissioner-General was not included for the tests but that a Deputy Commissioner was, he said it was because the former is a statutory office while the latter is a managerial position.
In his letter published in yesterday’s newspaper he further states that the former is not engaged in the day-to-day operations of the Customs while the latter is.
This is quite interesting and quite ridiculous, and contrary to the concerns expressed by the President of Guyana during his press conference this week. The President made it clear that it was not just persons who interface with the public who are liable to be engaged in corruption.
He said it could also involve persons higher up. The President was thus indicating that he was not in favour of selective testing within an organisation.
This is why he said that within CANU everyone was tested. Thus, Mr. Sattaur’s explanation as to why his deputy (or for that matter himself) was not chosen does not coincide with that of the President.
The issues that this column took with the polygraph tests are two-fold. The first is that it does not represent a credible measure of the honesty or integrity of an individual; it also is not recognised by our courts.
The second issue that this column has is the selective nature of the tests. Why is everyone not being subjected to the tests? Why some and not all? The President of Guyana seems to agree that all persons within any unit would have to be tested so that the process would not be accused of being selective.
And this is why this column has called for the Commissioner-General to take the tests. He has professed that he is a man who has worked hard to maintain an untainted image and reputation. He has also indicated that he is willing to take the test.
On the other hand, within the GRA there are serious concerns about the tests, and this is why thirteen persons refused to do the test.
The Commissioner-General, since he has confidence in the test and in his own integrity, should go ahead now and take the test, because it will demonstrate to his staff that, so long as they have nothing to hide, there isn’t anything to fear.
My advice to the Commissioner-General therefore is to take the test immediately and make the result public. Once he leads by example, he will not have to bother about his employees objecting to the test.
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