President Dr Irfaan Ali today affirmed his support for the appointees to the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Integrity Commission of Guyana.
The Head of State made this clear following the swearing-in ceremony of the commissions’ members at the Office of the President.
“As President, I have the confidence that the people appointed today, the Guyanese appointed today, not only have the skills but the character to execute the duties that they are called upon to execute.”
Chandra Gajraj has been elected as chair of the five-member Integrity Commission. The team also includes Dr Jocelin Kim Kyte-Thomas, Mohamed Ispahani Haniff, Hardesh Tewari and Wayne Bowman. They were sworn in by Chief Magistrate (ag) Judy Latchman.
Gajraj, the President outlined, has 28 years of ongoing experience and service as a corporate secretary of Demerara Bank; 50 years as the Managing Director of Trust Company Limited and she is presently the General Secretary of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
The remaining three members, he said, are also outstanding Guyanese.
Dr Kim Kyte-Thomas, who is an “outstanding Guyanese, an outstanding product of our legal profession”, is Head of the Department of Law at the University of Guyana, former Solicitor General and former Magistrate.
Mohamad Haniff is a former school teacher, a former engineering technician, a former assistant civil engineer and an Imam at the New Amsterdam Central Jama Masjid since the 1980s.
Hardesh Tewari, in addition to being an entrepreneur, a social activist and a religious leader, is a chartered accountant having gained the accreditation of ACCA.
Wayne Bowman is a former national chairman of the General Assembly Church of God, associate pastor of the Plaisance Church of God, and a leader among young people. He has several positions and has been instrumental in school basketball development in Guyana while functioning as a social activist and a religious personality.
“These are the credentials of the Guyanese citizens that we appoint today. I have said before that in charting this course of ‘One Guyana’ we will seek out those who have the credentials and are willing and ready to serve at every level in moving our country forward.”
Meanwhile, Bishop Patrick Findlay was sworn in as chair of the four-member Police Service Commission that also includes Mark Conway, Hakeem Mohamed and Ernesto Choo-a-Fat.
Mohamed, who was not present today, is expected to take his oath at a later date. The names for the PSC, President Ali outlined, were already approved by the National Assembly, therefore, as President, he had no issues with those names.
Members of both commissions will serve for a period of three years.
Also present were the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.
