HGP Nightly News – Attorney General Anil Nandlall has addressed criticisms from sections of the opposition over the removal of several Regional Executive Officers, arguing that the public debate has been distorted by misunderstanding of how the positions are created and filled.
Speaking on his weekly Issues in the News programme, Nandlall said the outgoing REOs had served the government and people of Guyana well, and he thanked them for what he described as their sterling service.
However, he rejected claims that their removal should be treated as a dismissal from a protected public service post.
The Attorney General explained that the office of Regional Executive Officer was created under the Local Democratic Organs Act of 1980, the legislation which established Guyana’s 10 administrative regions.
He said REOs are appointed by the minister responsible for local government and function as executive officers within the regional system.
According to Nandlall, while Regional Democratic Councils are elected bodies, REOs are appointed officers who act on behalf of the executive government. He said they also serve as clerks to the councils and are expected to carry out decisions of both the council and the minister.
Nandlall said once that legal structure is understood, much of the opposition criticism loses force.
He accused opposition figures of viewing the matter only through a political lens and of spreading misinformation about the role and tenure of REOs.
The Attorney General also rejected suggestions that the officers enjoy security of tenure similar to public servants. He maintained that REOs are not ordinary public servants and that their tenure is tied to the government that appoints them.
Nandlall said the REOs who were recently replaced had been appointed in 2020 and had served through an entire electoral cycle. In his view, there was nothing unusual about replacing them after that period.
He also criticised what he described as contradictory opposition arguments. According to him, some critics claimed the REOs were removed because of corruption, while others suggested they were removed because they refused to carry out corrupt instructions.
Nandlall said those claims lacked consistency and were being made without a proper understanding of the law governing regional administration.
The government’s decision to replace the REOs has triggered criticism from opposition figures, who have questioned whether the move was linked to political loyalty, accountability concerns, or the absence of due process.
But Nandlall maintained that the issue must be understood within the legal framework. He said REOs are executive appointees who operate inside regional democratic organs, but are appointed by the central government through the minister responsible for local government.
