Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan today urged the officers
in the Guyana Prison Service to do better in the face of wrong and
speak out when collusion is observed.
Minister Ramjattan was delivering remarks at the 35th Thanksgiving
Service of the GPS held at the Cecil Kilkenny Training School,
Lusignan, East Coast Demerara. He noted that some 28 officers were
dismissed from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) so far for 2018,
“The fact that we can introspect and say that I should not have done
that, or I should not have seen my colleague done that and not speak
up. I’ve said on several occasion that silence is violence. If we
shut our mouths to the wrongdoings it will occur, so we must speak
out,” the Minister of Public Security said.
Minister Ramjattan said the GPS has been seeing a surge of incidents
of collusion from some of its members. He called for there to be a
higher level of integrity among officers.
“We can have all the infrastructural developments and arrangements in
concrete fashion, but if we do not have the professional officers and
work staff wanting to do their jobs with integrity, all that is
beautiful around you, all come to nought.”
He said great institutions are made up of individuals who upon seeing
wrongdoings, speak out.
“They then realised, as we must today, realise that they must grow out
of the wrongdoing, grow out of the corruption, grow out of the greed
and avarice and they became institutions that are world renowned.”
Director of Prison (ag) Gladwin Samuels said the rogue elements of the
Prison Service will sooner or later “weed themselves out”. He said
they are like “salt and pepper to a fresh wound.”
Of the 28 dismissed ranks, 11 were charged for trafficking-related
offences. There are currently 12 ranks interdicted from duty, nine of
whom are charged either departmentally or criminally for
trafficking-related activities.
“Let them remind themselves that in Guyana we say, time longer than
twine,” the Prison Director said.
He said to realise success in any area, there must be a
“purpose-driven strategy” to drive, integrate and evaluate an
Organisation to ensure it creates its desired future.”
Samuels implored all officers to carry out their duties with purpose.
