Dear Editor,
It’s been quite a first week for Guyana’s new Coalition government. They are still basking in the sunlight of an unexpected victory. Their supporters, including this writer, are still celebrating. In such a situation, any criticism of the government is not likely to go down well with the supporters. The new rulers’ initial missteps—and there have been some of them— would be excused. It is always tempting after the ousting of a discredited government to go easy on the successor. Such is the nature of politics in a complex country like Guyana. But we have to call a spade a spade, even if it offends friends and supporters. There should be a place for critical analysis and support too.
By the end of the week we learned that there are 26 Ministers in the government—quite large by Caribbean standards. It was always going to be a tough job to put together a cabinet that represents six parties, while at the same time satisfying ethnic, gender and generational quotas. But my own initial response is that the Cabinet could have been more balanced. With some more consultations and strategic thinking they could have put together a Cabinet that better combined party representation, gender, ethnicity and the expertise available to the Coalition.
Given the pressures that I am sure he was faced with, I sympathise with Mr. Granger. But in the end he has to bear responsibility for the finished product, if he, as reported by some, did not properly consult his partners in the APNU and the AFC. So it’s his Cabinet. In this regard WPA’s Tacuma Ogunseye’s revelations that the APNU leadership is yet to meet following the elections should not be brushed aside. You can’t be too busy with government business to meet with the parties that are forming the government. That should not be comforting news for the country. Accountability was not part of the PPP’s culture. This government should avoid that road.
As it stands the Cabinet resembles a thrown together group of individuals rather than a team that reflects a sense of collective purpose. It’s hard to escape the criticism that the Cabinet seems more like a “job for the boys and girls” situation. Twenty six ministers are about six too many. One can hardly make sense of some of the portfolios and their functions. Some ministries seem more like departments of a ministry.
Cabinet is the nerve centre of the government and one would expect a fair bit of thought to be put into its composition. It is not just about putting individuals together, but more importantly it is about making sure that people are placed in the correct departments. It is also about making sure that where there are clusters of departments under one ministry, those departments are in some way related.
On the issue of the large number of Junior Ministers I hear Mr. President, but Cabinet is not a place for apprenticeship. Junior Ministers in a big Ministry is not a bad idea, but to have such Ministers in so many Ministries makes the Cabinet somewhat unwieldy. This is in no way a criticism of the men and women chosen—all of whom are accomplished individuals. But you want a Cabinet to collectively manage the state and not merely a group of people cobbled together, however talented they may be
Let me end with this. I have a lot of sympathy for those who will say that I am being negative and that the new government should be given a chance, a honeymoon. I voted for this government too and I want to see it succeed. But I do not want to be part of an uncritical nation; it is not healthy. Cheerleading for a government is not the only way to demonstrate ones support and loyalty.
Our support for a government should not blind us to its shortcomings or mistakes—even minor ones. It’s a tragic flaw in our political culture that has in the past hurt our nation. What we often see as government overreach is the end product when it’s too late to reverse it. The way to prevent government overreach is to identify it early and nip it in the bud. Sometimes our honest love and protection of a party and government becomes fertile ground for intolerance and non-accountability. I do not want to see this government go down that road.
To those who may say that critique of this government gives comfort to the PPP, I say there may be some truth in that. But the bigger truth is that critique could help to prevent this government from becoming a disaster like the PPP did.
Yours faithfully,
David Hinds