So, a new Foreign Minister has been named to take over from Rudy Insanally. It had been rumoured that the new incumbent might be something of a surprise package and indeed, the appointment of Carolyn Rodrigues has been met with widespread astonishment.
Of course, there had been much prior speculation as to the identity of Mr Insanally’s successor, with former Information Minister and PPP MP, Moses Nagamootoo making no secret of his interest in the job. Mr Nagamootoo had even suggested that, apart from himself, Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Dr Odeen Ishmael, would be a qualified and suitable replacement. But ever since Dr Ishmael’s transfer to Caracas from Washington, there has been a sense that he does not fully enjoy the President’s favour. For that matter, the outspoken Mr Nagamootoo is not that close to the President either and his championing of Dr Ishmael was perhaps akin to the proverbial kiss of death.
If anything, the speculation surrounding the names of Mr Nagamootoo and Dr Ishmael was perhaps a reflection of a broader debate as to whether the country’s top diplomat should be a politician or a technocrat. Or both, as might be argued in the case of our Man in Caracas who, as a PPP insider and long-serving political appointee, seems to have become a career diplomat by default.
Certainly, to most impartial observers, the case for appointing a capable and experienced foreign policy practitioner or international relations expert to such a specialized and critical position would appear to outweigh greatly any argument based on political expediency and loyalty. In this regard, one only has to think of Guyanese who have distinguished themselves and are still active in both the academic and international arenas, such as Professors Denis Benn and Havelock Brewster and Dr Bertie Ramcharan, to name a few.
But the President, in his wisdom, has opted for someone from within his current Cabinet. To be fair, Ms Rodrigues has already won respect as a capable Minister of Amerindian Affairs. She is undeniably intelligent, articulate and charming. She also has the added advantage of being relatively young and seemingly unencumbered by political baggage. And she is of course a woman and an Amerindian.
These are valid reasons to be generous in praise for this injection of fresh blood into an ailing Ministry. Indeed, the President should be congratulated on taking the bold step to appoint not only Guyana’s first female Foreign Minister, but our first indigenous one at that. It is undoubtedly a welcome move in the context of advancing the rights of women and indigenous people.
On the other hand, some might say that the ruling Party is merely courting the Amerindian vote, as there are now three Amerindian ministers, curiously enough, all female. The strategic importance of the only members of the population who are not emigrating in droves and who, through a process of attrition, represent some 10% of the electorate is obvious. It may well be therefore that this is a bit of cynical realpolitik in which the interests of the country are once again being subordinated to the narrow objective of securing votes.
To counter the critics, the onus lies on the President and the Government to prove that this appointment is more than ethnic and gender-based window dressing. And the administration and Ms Rodrigues herself will have to strive to convince the sceptics that this is a wise move, for numerous questions remain to be answered.
Will Ms Rodrigues be able to revive a Ministry widely regarded as being demoralized, if not moribund? How will she succeed where her renowned predecessor failed? Will the President allow her the resources and latitude necessary to rebuild the Ministry and revitalize our overseas Missions? Or will it be a case of same old, same old…?
Unlike Mr Insanally, Ms Rodrigues does have something of a political base. It is as yet unclear however whether she will be willing or able to use it to her advantage in her battles “over the road”. ?
In the public perception, however, the greatest challenge for Ms Rodrigues is the fact that she is a foreign policy neophyte. Her learning curve will be steep and she will have to learn quickly. But she is young and bright enough to learn on the job and there is every indication that she possesses the honesty of character and humility to seek advice. It is tempting to speculate that while Mr Insanally’s services have been retained nominally as a presidential adviser, he has really been kept on to mentor the new Foreign Minister. If so, she can only benefit from his wealth of accumulated experience and knowledge. And there can be no harm either in seeking the counsel of such masters of the art of diplomacy as Sonny Ramphal and Rashleigh Jackson.
But will Ms Rodrigues, sooner rather than later, have a free hand to direct and manage the nation’s foreign policy? And will there really be change at Takuba Lodge?
Only time will tell. In the meantime, let us give Ms Rodrigues the benefit of the doubt even as she can be assured that she will be closely watched.
We wish her well in her new capacity. The nation needs her to be successful.
