KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, May 22, IWN – One-third of the more than 30 staff members at the Fisheries Divisions have university degrees, but Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is not satisfied that they are doing as much as they can.
“Now, we have to have leadership through Saboto [Caesar], as the Minister of Fisheries. We have a very good person, who is the fisheries officer, who is acting Chief Fisheries Officer because the immediate past Chief Fisheries Officer is now Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. So that at the top you have good people,” he said at the Fisherman’s Day Rally in Calliaqua on Monday.
“Inside of the Department of Fisheries, we have 30-something public servants. Ten of them have university degrees. … Almost one-third of the staff, they have university degrees. I am not satisfied that the staff with the university degrees that they are pulling their weight as much as they should be pulling their weight.
“So, when you are listening to me, I am not complaining to you, I am not cussing you. I am talking to you like I am your father. Because, I am older than you and you could be my children.
“I want to see you work in a harder and more focused way. You can’t just want when you see a conference to go, you are interested in going there, but you don’t want to work hard in between.
“So, we have a lot of work to do, because there is a lot of guidance we have to give the fisherfolk. We know all about the technology, the training and the resources and we are seeking to work on all of them. And we are making some progress, but not enough,” the Prime Minister further said.
I totally agree with Ralph on this issue about the people working at the fishery department. They travel by cars to visit places on the leeward side to look at boats. It’s so much easier for them to use a boat instead of a car, because they can’t drive the car on water – or can they now?
I delivered all the documents to register my boat, but never got anywhere. Their excuse was: We were down there yesterday and saw the boat. My reply, “So why didn’t you tell me you were coming so I could bring the boat closer to shore for your inspection’? Incidentally that’s the same excuse I heard on both occasions when I visited the office. What I also found interesting , they knew my name and where I lived (the colour of my house) as soon as I said I was from Layou . Scary!
So you see VINCYPOWA, there are times when I do agree with Ralph.
PVPALMER, the problem with fishery department is that they are under funded, no work boats suitable for coastal travel, renting boats possible but no money to pay. When they go in their own cars they get no allowance, they are promised it, but it is never paid.
Remember to go and get University degrees, then you cannot put them to full use because of financial restraints, its depressing and a waste of the professional ability of these decent young people.
When things start to go wrong in any ministry, Gonsalves is swift to blame the workers, before anyone blames him.
The other problem is that Gonsalves keeps poking his nose in, he knows nothing about the subject, but has always got advice and orders for the professionals.
Give them the money and they will do a good job.
There have been rumblings from the fisheries employees, dissatisfaction and disappointments, some have been talking out of school. That is why the PM is now attacking them, hold on for the spite and malice to kick in.
He is attacking them before they attack him, its the same old roundabout of don’t blame me, blame them.
They have now had the frighteners put on them, how safe are their jobs?
This is another group of weak people, he should fire them, give them the heave-ho, they can sleep rough with the Port Police and Irrigation workers. Children, what children? Pay the rent, what rent? Buy food, why? We must teach these people to stay in line, speaking out must not be tolerated it may prove contagious.