[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Ministry of Social Protection has come out in full defense of its junior Minister, Simona Broomes following a verbal confrontation between her and Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Ann Greene late last week.
As a result, Greene has since been sent on her 36 days annual leave. Following a report carried in some sections of the media, the Ministry in a statement explained what occurred between the two women.
It was noted that Minister Volda Lawrence and Broomes undertook a familiarisation tour of the Ministry and the various departments and agencies therein on Monday and Wednesday, May 25 and 27 respectively.
According to the Ministry, during the tour of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA), Greene refused to acknowledge the presence of Minister Broomes.
“Ms. Greene introduced only Minister Lawrence to the staff while completely ignoring Minister Broomes,” the statement noted. It was further explained that at a subsequent meeting Greene “conducted herself with hostility, boisterously, belligerently and in a disrespectful manner towards Minister Broomes in the presence of Minister Lawrence, the Permanent Secretary and other staff members. Minister Lawrence was forced to caution and reprimand Ms. Greene for her unprofessional and disrespectful conduct.”
According to the statement, Greene loudly and aggressively declared her unwillingness to work with Minister Broomes unless Minister Broomes submitted herself to demands and ultimatums made by Greene.
“At no time did Minister Broomes engage in any confrontation with Ms. Greene. The Ministry views Ms. Greene’s conduct and actions as grossly unprofessional, constituting insubordination, contemptuous and untenable.
The unwarranted conduct and attitude of Ms. Greene towards both ministers, but Minister Broomes in particular, and in full view of ministry staff, has been deemed to be unacceptable.”
According to the release, both Ministers Lawrence and Broomes have assumed their responsibilities in good faith and with a view to working harmoniously will all staff at the Ministry in service to the people of Guyana, particularly women, children and the vulnerable and abused.
Unto now she have us work 12 hour in the night and have to come back 2 the next day, and when we talk she would say, is I hv to sign your contract,,, so everybody work it,, and shut up beca work is hard to get
That woman miss green is a total pig, I’m working with her along with many other staffs and they would say the same, she had all the homes that she run in a corruption, she take supervisors who do not he no exprecrence, the home in Sophia, is a shame ,she hv a woman thrifting all the stuff, and another woman miss Clair victorio thiving from all the homes, and disrespecting the staff, just beca she is doing it for her, she don’t let her go, she hv her moving from home to home, she once had the home full of children beca she get a lot of money for the more children she have, only when election was coming up she decide to send home some children
One must respect oneself first before respecting others and/or authority. Green is not the only one with this problem.
Unfortunately this whole incident reveals a problem that many of our public servants will now face. Having operated for over 20 years with a government of one political party they have failed to understand the tradition that we inherited from the British administrators, namely that public servants must work with whichever political party is in power, even when they do not agree politically with their new Ministers or when the disapprove of past actions by their Ministers. The American system is different – a new administration can clear out all the appointees of a previous administration and appoint their own Heads of Departments – “to the winner goes the spoils”. As long as we continue to accept an administrative system that appoints public servants for life (subject only to their competency) then I’m afraid that one has to work sometimes with a Minister whom one does not like or with whom one is in disagreement. What one is NOT permitted to do is publicly to express that dislike/disagreement.
yes and yes. Check your ego at the door.
Ladies, make room for reconciliation so you can focus on the bigger picture of providing a needed service. It is not about YOU, it is about the PEOPLE you are hired to serve. Find solutions, not create problems!
It is not only our children we should teach to be respectful,we as adults should also be the same.Disrespect was shown to the incoming Minister.It is time for “old Heads” in high offices to step down,if for some reasons they feel challenged.
This should be a lesson to all, always wait until all the facts are available. Never, never jump to conclusions. I must congratulate the one person in a previous version who particularly said they worked for this division and cautioned everyone that they knew what was going on there and readers should wait for more facts to come out.