Govt open to review of lie detector test policy at Energy Agency

Government said a possible review of the polygraph testing policy at the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) was welcome, following the recent dismissal of several employees who failed their tests.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, however, stated that the polygraph testing policy is traditional and has been practised by many organisations, over the past five years.

According to him, functionaries and officials in a number of agencies have been using the system. A few agencies have also been abiding with the interventions made on the basis of the results of the polygraph testing.
“This is a historical practice. That does not mean, of course, that the policy cannot be subjected, as seems to be now, by the opposition, to a review or demand for a review,” Dr Luncheon posited.
He said he was doubtful about the opposition’s request for the matter to be investigated. The government spokesman explained that polygraph testing is used specifically for GEA staffers who are involved in fuel marking. Revenue from importation of fuel, Dr Luncheon said, contributes significantly to revenue collection by the Guyana Revenue Authority and there is no doubt that significant breaches of the legal importation system have indeed been avoided by the work and presence of the fuel marking system and the activities of that component of the GEA.

Work in progress
“It’s not exactly where we would want it to be. People fall asleep, equipment and markers disappear and all sorts of different things, but it’s a work in progress,” he added. Dr Luncheon further stated that integrity testing, via the polygraph, assists the management and policy makers in determining and targeting the weak areas in the fuel marking programme.
The GEA sent home 21 employees who failed lie detector tests; 34 employees had taken the test. The agency said polygraph tests continue to ensure the integrity of the system and by extension, the officers employed under the fuel marking programme. These terminations come on the heels of several more within the past few months. According to one of the sacked employees, this has resulted in a severe staff shortage at the agency.

Dissatisfaction
The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) have argued that the polygraph tests are being inappropriately used by the GEA, and have since called for an investigation into the causes for dismissal of the workers. The APNU has also called for an immediate halt to the practice.
In 2009, Dr Luncheon had said the government intended to make the practice of polygraph testing an annual exercise to ensure the public can have complete trust in the authorities that serve them. Polygraph testing was first used in 2008 by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), with all 32 members of the unit being tested. Nine individuals failed and their services were terminated.
Polygraph testing was extended to include employees at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri; the GEA and the Narcotics Branch of the Guyana Police Force stationed at the airport. Based on the number of media reports received, the GEA is using the test more than any other agency.