HGP Nightly News – The government’s newly appointed Regional Executive Officers are facing early scrutiny, with APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul saying the officers must now prove, through their conduct and performance, that they are fit to manage regional affairs in the public interest.
President Irfaan Ali recently approved the appointment of nine new Regional Executive Officers across the country, with only one officer reportedly retained from the previous group.
In a statement on Sunday, Mahipaul congratulated the new appointees and wished them success in serving citizens across the regions. However, he said the appointments cannot be viewed only as routine administrative changes, since REOs are responsible for major decisions involving public funds, contracts, regional development, and service delivery.
According to Mahipaul, some of the new appointments have already attracted public concern because of questions surrounding transparency, accountability, and political favouritism.
He said several of the officers carry reputations that raise doubts about their commitment to ethical governance, and that those concerns must not be dismissed simply because the appointments have already been made.
The APNU parliamentarian also pointed to what he described as a pattern in the selections, noting that several appointees appear to have come from within government ministries, including the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Education.
He further raised concern over alleged family ties between one appointee and a sitting government minister, arguing that such issues create public doubt about whether merit and independent oversight were given priority.
Mahipaul said Regional Executive Officers must be persons who inspire confidence, since their offices directly affect the lives of citizens in every region. He said Guyanese deserve REOs who are beyond reproach and who understand that regional governance is about service, fairness, and accountability.
While he said he hopes the newly appointed officers will prove their critics wrong, Mahipaul warned that they must be held under close public watch from the start.
He said integrity and performance must now become the measure by which the new REOs are judged.
The opposition MP also argued that the appointments come at a time when public concern over procurement, contract management, and regional spending remains high. For that reason, he said citizens must pay close attention to how the new officers handle public resources and whether they serve communities without political bias.
Mahipaul said the real test will be whether the new REOs act independently, manage public funds responsibly, and place citizens’ needs above political convenience.
For him, the issue is no longer only who was appointed. It is whether those appointed can earn the public’s trust.
