Opposition Parliamentarian, Geeta Chandan Edmond is calling for the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Toussaint Thomas, to go on administrative leave until “public confidence is restored”.
This follows an incident at Miami International Airport, where Thomas’s phone was reportedly confiscated, and she was interrogated by US border agents for hours.
“The most recent update by Stabroek News on this matter, to the effect that the official had been on a US watch list, has caused even greater concern.
Thus far, what the public knows is that the PS’s phone was confiscated, she was interrogated for hours by US border agents, and her US visa was revoked; and, all this was not by chance or random suspicion, she was apparently on a list of persons of interest,” Chandan-Edmond, the shadow Home Affairs Minister noted.
She added, “The public does not know why she was placed on the watch list, how will this affect her duties, or what is government’s stance on the matter.
It is well known that this government is of the belief that if a matter is ignored long enough, it will eventually go away. But Thomas’ position is too important. She is the Permanent Secretary of a vital Ministry.”
Edmond argued that the events that recently unfolded would undermine public confidence in Thomas and the Ministry of Home Affairs. She stated that the chief accounting officer of the security ministry and the point person for several key security programs cannot also be a person who is smeared internationally. Therefore, Edmond called for Thomas to proceed on administrative leave until the public is fully appraised of the facts of the matter.
