Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 29, 2018 Eye on Guyana with Lincoln Lewis, Features / Columnists
There is perception the government is floundering in the making of policies, and not serving the people’s best interest, due to an absence of vision that would impact coherent thought processes and direction.
The view as to what or who is responsible for this is mixed. Some hold the view that President David Granger is not taking advice. Others are contending the problem is his advisors – i.e. the ministerial team – and that many lack the strength and capacity to do what is expected of them, including honestly advising him.
The ultimate responsibility for the performance of the Executive is the President, and as he expresses satisfaction with the performance of his team, continuous evaluation is being made by the man in the street, who sees it differently.
There exists a misconception by politicians that persons converging around them in the streets represent love for them and political support. What they are not conscious of or ignore, is that people believe the power and privileged positions of the president, ministers and members of parliament can help to influence their lives for the better.
As the media community clamours for the President to hold press conferences, the Press Association seeks to refer to the level of access it had when he was in the Opposition, comparative to now. In opposition, Mr. Granger was not expected to account as Leader of the Executive but as Leader the Opposition, and that saw him addressing issues, making promises/commitments the society yearned for and pulling the right cords. As President holding press conferences and facing the media, he will be rightly asked questions to account for the stewardship of his administration.
The absence or paucity in engaging with the media has caused a deterioration of a relationship relied on when in Opposition, and will be needed should he be seeking re-election. Obviously, the President would desire coverage, positively more likely, to be told far and wide in the process of securing another term. Non-engagement with an institution, once considered vital to getting your messages out, has reached the point where strong perception is being held the media has become enemy.
In the absence of the President speaking to this nation via press conference, the Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo’s weekly press conference has filled the political space of the people needing to hear from the nation’s premier political leadership on policies and other critical issues. Cabinet press conference cannot be equated to a press conference that speaks to policy issues, which is the forte of the presidency. In fact, at the Cabinet press conference the minister defers on critical issues.
According to the Guyana Constitution, the Prime Minister, who is 1st Vice President and Leader of the Government Business, is the second most powerful position in the Executive. Moses Nagamootoo, additional to the constitutional portfolios, has been assigned responsibilities for the government information agencies, state-owned media, and governance.
Over the last fortnight the President and Leader of the Opposition met to discuss matters pertaining to the people’s business. Instructive about this engagement – outside of it being at the behest of foreign intervention, registering a slight to the similar request by the citizens – is the condition under which the meeting was held.
According to the Opposition Leader, he told the President he does not want the Prime Minister (PM) to lead the Government team in engagement with his side, the President concurred and accepted that he will instead lead. I’ve earned my stripes at negotiating, including at the international level, and it would be remiss not recognise when an astute one is among us. My position on Jagdeo’s stewardship of this country is public knowledge, but this must not take away from the acknowledging of the fact he has outmanoeuvred the Government and caused the administration to make Nagamootoo a casualty.
Fundamentally, no one has the right to appoint a team that’s not theirs. The PM has responsibility for governance and his initial assigned role as leader of the Government’s team to meet with the Opposition to discuss issues of governance was in order. When he meets with the Opposition Leader, which is a constitutional office, he does so as PM representing the Executive.
The discussion on governance is between the Executive and Opposition. And whatever the issues are, a clear mandate would have had to emerge from the Executive to guide the PM’s position at the table. The engagement is not between the PPP/C, APNU, AFC or PNCR, it is between the Executive branch of government, where the governing and opposition sides are meeting to discuss issues relating to the people’s business, which ought to be guided by the spirit and intent of the Constitution.
The Motion debated in the National Assembly on the 19th and 20th July for a name change of the Ministry of Social Protection to that of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection to give equal prominence and treatment to Labour (workers’ issues consistent with the Constitution, laws and ILO Conventions) is another embarrassing situation for the Government.
In 2015 the trade union community wrote the President requesting a meeting to discuss a number of issues. The President responded that he forwarded our request to the Ministry of Social Protection to be properly advised, after which he would meet with Labour. The initial subject minister Volda Lawrence was replaced. The President was sent a reminder of Labour’s request, and replied saying he’s awaiting advice from Social Protection. Last year incumbent Minister Amna Ally invited Labour/trade union community to a meeting to have our opinion on the issues that were listed and sent to the President communicating our position.
At the conclusion of that meeting, the Minister advised the listed issues would be discussed with the President, after which she would communicate to us. To date the government has said not another word on the matter. Given the issues listed by Labour, and the responses received during the engagement with the Minister, it is not wrong to conclude that there was an absence of capacity to adequately articulate and advise the President as to the philosophical underpinnings of our position.
The Motion before the House landed there because the Government, since 2015, has refused to engage the trade union community, where this matter could have been ventilated. And even as the Motion was laid and debated, never once has the Government engaged us. It was the Opposition that did, including soliciting the trade union’s opinion in crystalising their view and position, advising when it would be heard, who spoke, and how the vote was cast.
To make this issue national not partisan, I personally initiated contact with members of the Cabinet, apprising them as to our position – which they said they understood and agreed with the principled argument – and asked that same be communicated at the Cabinet meeting, including support for the Motion.
Apparently, Government made up its mind it would vote no, or the President was not properly advised as to the content and intent of the Motion. The principal speaker on the matter, Minister Ally, outside of demonstrated lack of knowledge of the issue at hand, informed the House the Motion was “an attack on the President,” must be seen as “political mischief” and be defeated.
The impasse with the Guyana Teachers’ Union is another embarrassing situation. Granger is on record saying, repeatedly, that the teachers would be the highest paid public servants under his government. Three years after, the coalition has failed to arrive at an agreement which will set in train a mechanism to make this possible. The teachers have publicly forewarned if this matter is not settled they will express their frustration at the Local Government Elections. They are not the only group echoing similar sentiment.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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