Days after President Irfaan Ali announced that Guyana’s High Commissioner to India Charrandas Persaud will be recalled from his post in India, the Head of State said Friday that he has received many proposals for his replacement.
“What I can tell you, I am having a lot of interest being sent to me,” President Ali told reporters at the sidelines of an event at the Georgetown Club.
Persaud was caught on video verbally abusing an Indian woman, in clear contradiction to the rules that govern the conduct of Guyana’s diplomats. Though the video only surfaced on Tuesday, the incident occurred on August 1, 2021.
President Ali was asked on Friday if he felt “misled” by Persaud and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which said initially that the case was closed before the video evidence was released.
“No one misled me, absolutely no one misled me. I have made a statement and I have done what was the right thing to do and at the end of the day the integrity of Guyana and the best representation of Guyana is what matters to me,” President Ali responded.
He explained that while Persaud was cleared by the Indian authorities, his conduct was not in keeping with what is expected of Guyanese diplomats.
Dr. Ali reasoned that even though Persaud explained that the short video did not capture the full scale of what happened, his behaviour was still unacceptable.
The Foreign Ministry in a statement noted that through communication on September 3, 2021, from the Indian authorities, the complaint by the woman of “sexually abusive words” had “not been substantiated.”
However, in the video, it was clear that Persaud used obscene language. He said: “If you want the dog, take it and put it between your legs…you probably want the dog f%$k you”.
According to reports, the woman was inquiring about a lost dog in the area.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs memo on the duties and responsibilities to Guyana’s heads of missions overseas dictates that they “demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, deportment, efficiency and diplomatic refinement in all conduct to maintain and accentuate standing and influence”.