Fmr. Ministers who reside in far-flung areas given one month to vacate Gov’t property – Teixeira

Former Ministers of the David Granger administration who reside in far-flung regions have been given one month to vacate the Government property they currently occupy while others are being asked to leave as soon as possible.

Others were written earlier this week by the Parliament office asking them to vacate the properties within 36 hours and they include former Ministers Simona Broomes, Karen Cummings, Valarie Patterson Yearwood and Hemraj Rajkumar.

Some of those properties were being rented for hundreds of thousands of dollars by the Parliament Office for the Ministers.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira during a virtual press conference Friday said, “as per norm Ministers vacate residences.”

“This is what is considered honourable, decent, dignified and democratic and so what we have seen is that Ministers are no longer ministers of the APNU+AFC government; we know that they have vacated offices and they are expected to hand over state property and state assets,” she added.

Teixeira was at the time responding to comments by former President David Granger where he warned PPP against pursuing public servants and former Ministers of his Government.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said she found Mr Granger’s language to be quite disturbing in which he called on the PPP to desist from its pattern of aggression and referenced persons who served in his administration being dismissed and treated badly.

“I wish to inform him [Granger] that two of the Amerindian Ministers who do not live in Georgetown have been given 1 month to vacate government quarters,” she added.

The Minister said no request was made by any former Minister to have a discussion on whether they need time to leave.

“The normal practice is that you leave as urgent as possible when you no longer hold the position.”

She recalled that in May 2015 when the PPP lost the elections, the Ministers moved from their offices, handed in their vehicles and government assets and left government flats without being told to do so.

“I hear the indignation in his [Granger] voice but he didn’t have the same indignation as President when Irfaan as former Minister of Housing was unceremoniously locked out of office after his swearing-in and couldn’t get in to get his personal belongings.”