Liberty and Justice Party Leader and incoming parliamentarian Lenox Shuman and Private Sector Commission Chairman Gerry Gouveia say that their advisory positions with government will not conflict with their other portfolios, nor will the salaried work beholden them in any way to the PPP/C administration.
In an interview with Stabroek News on Sunday, both men said that they were honoured to be chosen by President Irfaan Ali to help and that they will execute their respective duties with professionalism and integrity, always putting country first.
Shuman will advise the Minister of Public Works on civil aviation, while Gouveia will serve as a national security advisor to the president. Shuman will be an opposition member of parliament representing the joinder list which comprises three parties. The seat will be rotated among the parties.
Boasting experience as an internationally licensed pilot for over 20 years, Shuman said that his position was a technical one and that he does not see how this will interfere with policy decisions to be made and debated in parliament, even as he stressed that he feels he is more than qualified for the post.
“Some people only seem to see Lenox Shuman as a Toshao of an indigenous village. They do not see 20 years of experience flying internationally, and I’m talking all over the world. There is a myopic view of who I am; they see that I am incapable of having technical knowledge and it is so wrong. This is a technical post and my qualifications speak for itself .I don’t see it being a problem,” he said.
“I am not going to advise the government on finance or economic policy matters, it is only aviation and how the sector can be developed, so I don’t see that conflicting with anything else. Aviation, you see, is very unique. In terms of budgetary allocation, I don’t see that technical knowledge influencing on budgetary matters. I will not be beholden. We have not sat down and they said ‘come into the PPP’. We are talking about providing professional and technical advice … and of course I can separate my duties and that of the work of the party.” he added.
Asked if it was a paid position, he said that it would be but he and government have not yet discussed how much it would be as he believes that he was chosen to be part of an inclusionary process to develop the country and money was not the driving factor. He said that this week the issue of remuneration will be discussed, even as he posited that it should be commensurate with his skills and expertise.
“We have not discussed this. When we, the LJP, got into politics it was not to be at a constant political battle or political war. It was to assist in developing this country. It was seeing some of the portfolios in the last government of some persons that were incapable of holding them but they had them anyway…and changing that. In whatever capacity we have to do, we now have to do what is necessary for this country,” he said.
“When I had the discussion with the government on it, they said it was a sector that is underperforming. When I looked at it they said we have to prepare Guyana for (the future) and we need help in every way. If I have the requisite knowledge, it does not make sense for me to sit there and belabour about salary. I will help. I think I am very professional and don’t see sitting on the side sitting and complaining as helping this situation,” he said.
But he said that when he discusses payment this week, it would be on the premise that he has a family to take care of. “I have a family to take care of and I still have to work. I am to meet with the minister on Wednesday and to determine how we go forward. I have to work with the government’s expectations. So I have to first see what it is it that I have to do, if it is to revise the entire sector… if it is an overhaul or just a little technical work. You don’t want to be paid like an astronaut for not much work, the pay has to be equal to the portfolio,” he said.
Absolutely
For Gouveia, whose position as Chairman is up for grabs when the PSC holds its elections at the end of September, there will be “absolutely” no conflict of interests. But the private sector umbrella body will have a discussion on his appointment and that will guide the way forward for him.
The PSC, he explained, is compartmentalised in terms of responsibilities and economic matters do not cross over during decision-making processes. “The PSC is divided…dealing with the economic issues, it will be a different level from me,” he said as he named the two persons responsible for that area.
“I believe that it is something the executive of the PSC will have to discuss but there is no direct conflict that national security will have,” he added.
He, too, said he believes that he was chosen because President Ali promised inclusivity during his campaign and is making good on that promise by including civil society in key decision making portfolios. “I think one of the reasons the president chose people he did is because he has embarked on inclusivity of a cross-section of society without expecting them to resign. His methodology is about inclusivity,” Gouveia said.
A pilot also, and former Guyana Defence Force officer, Gouveia repeated that he has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the area of national defence and security since he has formal training from institutions such as the NTSB Academy in Washington DC in Aircraft Accident Investigations; George Washington University in Virginia USA in Aviation Safety and Security and the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in the National Defense University all in Washington DC.
“I am honoured that my experience and qualifications have the President’s confidence. I would tell you that I have had widespread support from across the private sector because of my years of experience. I have served in the military for a long time I believe I did a lot of preparation for this,” he said.
Gouveia said that he also plans to tap into the wisdom and skillsets of some of this country’s top military and other leaders as he provides advice to Ali in areas of disaster preparedness and management, port responsibility and foreign policy among other areas.
“I have widespread knowledge of Guyana and the vulnerability of our borders and all of that. But having sat at the knees of people like Ivelaw Griffith, Joe Singh and Norman McLean… I have persons that I intend to reach out and tap into for help,” he said.
The nation, according to Gouveia, can take comfort in knowing that his experience will be well utilized as he provides guidance for the 40-year-old Ali, who took office at a time when the country is grappling with a number of security issues such as manning its porous borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, rising sea levels and periodic flooding from overtopping of the Atlantic Ocean on the coastlands.
