Georgetown, Guyana — (November 26, 2018) Prime Minister, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo, this morning, during a guest lecture at the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service (BCCPS) said public servants must perform their duties with integrity and without bias.
“While [public servants] are protected from political interference, you are not protected if you decide to go outside of the rules, outside of laid down procedures, outside of principles that guide good conduct, which is the moral turpitude… you must know what is ethical, what is good, acceptable, healthy conduct, and, of course, you must obey the law. You are not above the law. Being a public servant does not give you any privilege over and above the privileges enjoyed by the ordinary citizens of the country,” he said, during his lecture titled ‘Politics and the Public Service’.
The Prime Minister was at the time addressing the second graduating class of the BCCPS at the main Lecture Hall, BCCPS Campus, Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
He encouraged the cadets to be courteous in their future professional interactions and to be mindful not to let personal beliefs interfere with their work.
“I believe that once you do your work faithfully as a public servant, your advice, your contribution would be of worth. It would be of value to the society. Your duty would be a higher duty, not a duty to a party or to a secular interest. Your duty would be that to your country. Your duty is not a political duty… it is a patriotic duty and, in my book, the call to duty as a patriot is perhaps the greatest blessing we have,” he said.
Further, the Prime Minister made it clear that the constitutional rights afforded public servants ought not to be deemed an excuse for professional misconduct.
The BCCPS is dedicated to instilling integrity, impartiality, and objectivity in the next generation of public servants. In December, the college will see its second graduation.
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