– Guyana to spend $1.6B more on contract employees this yearThe number of contracted Presidential support staffers, which includes advisors, at the Office of the President (OP), is set to increase by 20 this year and likely to cost taxpayers at least $75M more than 2012.Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger LuncheonAccording to figures contained in the 2013 estimates of the National Budget, under “Presidential Advisory (Cabinet and Other Services), the number of contracted employees there will now be 141.That section of presidential advisors and other support staffers, including non-contract workers to the Cabinet, totals 176 persons. Advisors include the likes of Parliamentarians Gail Teixeira, Odinga Lumumba and Indra Chandarpal. For the 141 contracted staffers under this heading, the sum budgeted is $380M.In total, the number of contract employees at OP will cost $423.5M this year as against the $343.3M spent in 2012.The issue of contract workers at OP has been simmering for years now with the Opposition accusing Government of creating high-paying posts to reward party faithfuls. The Opposition had demanded that Government trim what it believed was a bloated OP.In recent years, the administration has been questioned on this particular aspect during considerations of the budget estimates.Last year, the combined Opposition of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) used the one-seat majority in the new Parliament to chop a chunk of money from especially OP, affecting a number of the programmes.This year, the questions over the high-paying contract jobs are again likely to place OP under intense scrutiny, the Opposition says.On Friday, APNU Parliamentarians said that they were looking to dismantle the contract workers’ system.AFC has since signaled its intention to reduce the budget of a number of programmes, including the contract workers at OP. According to a notice from AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, the party will be moving to reduce $380M budgeted for contract workers to $220M when that particular sum comes up for considerations in the coming days.Presidential Advisor, Gail TeixeiraContract workers at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Local Government are also being targeted for the budget cuts.Last year, AFCMP, Moses Nagamootoo, likened OP’s Presidential Advisors to “fat cats”.It was disclosed that Press Undersecretary, Mahendra Roopnarine, earns $395,000 per month while controversial President’s Information Liaison Officer, Kwame McCoy,Aaron Ramsey Arsenal Jersey UK, was taking in $334,850.Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon, was listed as being paid a salary of $895,326 while his Deputy, Hydar Ally, $550,064.Office of the President also pays the son of Former Attorney General, Charles Ramson, $430,196 for the position of Technical Legal Director.The late Reepu Daman Persaud was listed on June payroll for OP as receiving $412,320 for his services as an Advisor to the President while former Regional Chairman for Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha earned for himself as Head, Community Relations Liaison Officer some $307,600.Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, was taking home $967,985, a salary greater than her boss Dr. Luncheon.Significantly also this year, government is going to spend $1.6B more or $7.8B to pay contract workers, according to the estimates.Unions and political parties have been railing against the increase of contract workers by government saying those same workers are denied benefits on the long run. They also have been accusing Government of deliberately increasing the number of contract workers to erode the strength of the unions, which increasingly have been finding it hard to survive in recent years.Presidential Press Liaison, Kwame McCoy
