The decision to reassign acting stenographer Mindy Ramoutar to another department in the Board of Inland Revenue was due to a staff shortage and not because of the presence of a “voodoo” artefact.
This was the explanation given by Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Deomati Ramdass, in her response to Ramoutar’s pre-action protocol letter.
Through her attorney Kiran Panday, Ramoutar sent the letter to Ramdass on February 10, claiming that she was reassigned to the BIR’s Legal Unit after being accused of practising “voodoo.”
Ramoutar, who is also a Clerk Typist I, said last September, her colleague gifted her a cultural artefact from New Orleans after returning from vacation. She had placed the artefact on her work desk. After being informed by the Human Resource Department (HR) on December 10, 2024, that she was being reassigned, she said she inquired from Ramdass about the reason for her reassignment and was allegedly told that she was “involved in the practice of voodoo” and shown a photo of the artefact.
In a letter dated March 7, in response to Ramoutar’s pre-action protocol letter, Ramdass said, “I wish to state categorically that although Ms Ramoutar’s reassignment to the Legal Unit and the presence of the artefact were discussed with her on 12th December 2024, they are indeed two separate and distinct issues that have no bearing on each other. For the avoidance of doubt, Ms Ramoutar’s reassignment occurred in relation to ongoing staffing needs in the Legal Unit, which is well-documented, and which was set in motion prior to 10th December 2024. The presence of the ‘artefact’ is an issue that only came to my attention on 12th December 2024 by a colleague a few minutes before Ms Ramoutar entered my office.”
However, Ramdass maintained that her “personal belief” that Ramoutar was involved in the practice of “voodoo” was logical, given the admission that the artefact was a gift from a colleague who had returned from New Orleans.
As is well known, she said, “voodoo is a magical tradition that is deeply connected with New Orleans, as it was taken there by enslaved Africans in the early 1700s.”
From the photo of the artefact attached to her letter, Ramdass said across the torso of the “artefact” are clearly the words “ooDoo.” However, she said the picture omits to show, due to the vantage point it was taken from, the actual word—”VooDoo.”
Noting the uncanny resemblance of the artefact to Internet pictures of a “voodoo doll,” Ramdass also contended that the appearance of the “artefact” coincided with Ramoutar’s reassignment, “which it is now apparent she was not pleased with.”
Ramdass added that she was not given an explanation for the presence of the artefact in the office. She said Ramoutar was reassigned to that department because she had a greater understanding of legal correspondence than her colleagues and demonstrated a superior work ethic.
She added that Ramoutar was not demoted, as she assumed duties in the Legal Unit as acting Clerk Stenographer II, and there was no loss in benefits.
Denying any animosity on her part, she said, “The unfounded allegation that Ms Ramoutar is being victimised based on the ‘artefact’ is totally inconsistent with the clear chronological timeline established by contemporaneous documents and events. I categorically deny that Ms Ramoutar was reassigned to the Legal Unit because of the presence of the artefact on 12th December 2024. I also affirm that M. Ramoutar has neither, nor is she the subject of victimisation at the Board of Inland Revenue.”
Ramdass indicated that she is open to reconsidering Ramoutar’s reassignment, provided that a suitable replacement could be identified.
She hoped no further action would be taken and the matter “which has now become a public spectacle owing to the widespread publicity this matter gained in the local media,” resolved amicably without recourse to the courts.
