BE PROFESSIONAL!
BE PROFESSIONAL!
Kaieteur News – Within our society there are thousands of good professionals. They are not Politicians; they simply are professionals prepared to do their jobs fairly and honestly. But ever so often what we find is that some big one does something that he or she wishes to conceal. And so instructions are passed down to these professionals that they should not say anything about the matter.
It is not these professionals that have anything to hide. They are compelled to abide by higher instructions and this undermines their professionalism.
But why should these professionals have to run and hide? Why should they have to avoid making known the facts of any matter. After all, they are not responsible for what is taking place in political circles, and therefore they should be allowed to operate as professionals.
Yet many professionals are often told not to speak to certain individuals or entities. So when calls are made, the response is often that the person is not in, or the person has no comment to make, or in some instances, is not the right person to make those comments.
Under the former regime, some public officials were impudent. They would tell you to your face that you have no right to ask them anything and they have nothing to say.
These days, professionals are being forced to run and hide, and through no fault of theirs.
There is too much secrecy in Guyana. Just like the former regime, those in power seem to be operating on the basis that they owe no one any obligation to be transparent. They feel they can do as they please and when questions are asked, they order the ordinary workers to stay quiet.
Some of these workers are so intimidated by authority that they are afraid to even be seen near to a media person. Even a simple question as to what work they do, drives fear into them.
This is what is happening to our workers. Someone needs to stand up and say they have had enough, and will operate like a professional and refuse to be gagged.
You cannot hide from the truth when it is staring you in the face.
A few years ago, students at some schools turned up for the first day of classes only to find that there was a shortage of furniture. Now obviously someone had to remove the furniture. These were not new schools. They have been around for some time and therefore would have had their full complement of desks and chairs which would have been left in place on the last day of school. So where did the furniture disappear to and why were the classes not checked and arranged before the first day of classes commenced?
These are straightforward inquiries that should have been answered. But the media had problems eliciting a comment on this development. Yet, this was then a fairly straightforward matter. Just as how many of the matters today, over which public officials are silent, are also straightforward matters.
Things are not going to improve in the country by dodging issues, and therefore those workers who value their professionalism need to stand up and indicate forcibly that they are not going to be pawns in any political games.
It is not they who are giving out overpriced contracts; it is not they who are handing out land to their friends. And so they should not be gagged, but should assert their right to defend any action taken within their organisation. There is no need for anyone to run and hide. There is no need for anyone to stay quiet when they have nothing to hide.
Professionals should act like professionals. They should not compromise their professionalism by being forced to follow political edicts that are unacceptable. They should make it known that they are not responsible for certain things, and as such, they will not be encouraging any cover-up or seeking to prevent persons from accessing public places.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
