When the Jagdeo/Ali regime was installed in August 2020, the President of the Hindu Dharmic Sabha was appointed Minister of Social Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, daughter of former PPP stalwart Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, took up the seat at Lamaha Street.
Immediately, the purge of the Ministry began. The first victim was a long-standing and exemplary public servant with years of vast experience, Lorene Baird ceremoniously departed. Baird was the Permanent Secretary at the time and paved the way for Shannielle Hoosein-Outar. Next in line was the long-standing Deputy Permanent Secretary, Shelton Daniels. He was shifted from the nerve center of the Ministry’s leadership to the fringes.
‘Credible Sources’ has been reliably informed that long-serving public servants were immediately sidelined once the Minister’s chosen leadership team was in place. This led to a tsunami of resignations. To date, our sources are telling us that twenty staff members have resigned from the Child Protection Agency (CPA) which falls under the purview of Persaud’s Ministry.
The forced exodus included but was not limited to highly qualified and experienced, Akeela Doris, the former head of the Domestic Violence Unit. This has now been coupled with the departure of the experienced head of the Child Protection Unit, Ann Greene.
Those highly placed sources are telling this publication that on the day that Ann Greene departed, she received two resignations from senior staff of the agency. Recently, the Head of the Probation Department, Wentworth Tanner quietly resigned after 13 years of service.
Staff at every level are extremely alarmed over these resignations and what they consider to be a purge being quietly and stealthy orchestrated by the Minister.
It is their view that the Minister has no trust in the professionals that she found the Ministry because they operated under the APNU-AFC government and as a consequence, she is determined to bring in “her people”. Those familiar with professionalism in the public service, are highly concerned about the disruption and negative effects of this political approach to leadership by the Minister and her team.
More, In The Ring.
