Last week, in commenting on the surprise appointment of Carolyn Rodrigues as Guyana’s new Foreign Minister, we raised more questions than answers about whether she would succeed in reviving the ministry and bolstering the country’s faltering image abroad. But we also stated that Ms Rodrigues should be given the benefit of the doubt.
This week, in a good faith attempt to offer the new Foreign Minister some constructive advice, we have dropped the question mark from the title of our editorial, as we believe that the portents for change at Takuba Lodge are good.
It appears that Ms Rodrigues has hit the ground running and has met with her long-serving and able Director General and the Directors of her ministry, to elicit their initial views on what needs fixing in the ministry. It would also appear that she is under no illusions about the enormity of the task that lies ahead. There are therefore grounds for optimism that she is prepared to bring her obvious intelligence and personal energy to bear, in a serious attempt to succeed in this most distinguished and unforgiving of ministerial portfolios.