A Tale of Two Non-appointments

Dec 28, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- In Guyana, under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) government, the Constitution remains a battered lighthouse, its beam dimmed by neglect and political expedience. Two glaring vacancies—one constitutional, the other a matter of good governance—stand as evidence to this erosion. The absence of a Secretary to the Cabinet and a Cabinet Press secretary not only flouts democratic norms but also steers us perilously close to the abyss of authoritarianism.

In the British Westminster system, which Guyana ostensibly follows, the Cabinet is not a cabal of political loyalists huddled in secrecy. It is an organ of the state, its workings recorded, preserved, and held accountable to posterity. Central to this apparatus is the Secretary to the Cabinet, a nonpartisan public servant tasked with ensuring that Cabinet proceedings are meticulously documented and archived. This is no mere clerical role; it is the bedrock of institutional memory, ensuring that decisions are traceable, deliberations transparent, and the state machinery resilient against the caprices of transient governments.

And yet, for four years, the PPPC has flagrantly violated the Constitution by failing to appoint this vital post. It is as though they view the Cabinet not as a state institution but as an extension of the ruling party. It is as if there is the presumption that Cabinet is supposed to operate in a fog of secrecy that is both deliberate and dangerous.

This neglect is more than an oversight; it is a calculated affront to governance itself. Under the British Westminster system, Cabinet minutes are a sacrosanct part of governance. There, the Secretary to the Cabinet ensures that decisions are documented with an impartiality that transcends party lines. These records are preserved not for the pleasure of current ministers but for the integrity of future governments, historians, and citizens alike. Guyana’s deviation from this practice is not just a failure to meet a constitutional obligation; it is an assault on the principles of transparency and statecraft.

The second glaring omission is the absence of a press secretary to provide post-Cabinet briefings. In a democracy, the media is not a supplicant begging for scraps of information; it is the lifeline between the government and the governed. Yet in Guyana, the media is left scavenging for information from the General Secretary of the PPP, a role that is uncomfortably intertwined with partisan politics.

This conflation of party and state is the hallmark of regimes sliding into authoritarianism. When the lines between government and party blur, the public is left with propaganda masquerading as information. And dissent is suffocated under the weight of manufactured narratives.

Once upon a time, the former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, took on the role of press secretary, providing regular updates on Cabinet decisions. This practice, while not perfect, at least acknowledged the media’s right to timely and accurate information. Today, the silence is deafening.

Within the state apparatus, there are persons with the capability to act as official spokespersons. Thus, the absence of a dedicated press secretary is less a matter of capacity than of intent. It signals a government that prefers opacity over openness, control over communication, and propaganda over truth.

Let us be clear: appointing a Secretary to the Cabinet and a press secretary is not a panacea for all governance woes. But it is a necessary first step in reclaiming the principles of transparency and accountability. The Secretary to the Cabinet would ensure that the proceedings of governance are not lost to the ephemeral whispers of political corridors but preserved for the scrutiny of history. The press secretary, meanwhile, would serve as a bridge between the government and the people, ensuring that the latter are informed not by partisan spin but by facts.

The PPPC government’s failure to make these appointments is not merely an administrative lapse; it is a calculated strategy to maintain power through secrecy and obfuscation. It reflects a mindset that views governance as a private affair, conducted behind closed doors and shielded from public scrutiny.

But governance is not a private affair. It is a public trust, and the Constitution is not a suggestion. It is the framework within which power is exercised, and its provisions are not optional. By refusing to appoint a Secretary to the Cabinet, the government is in open defiance of this trust. By failing to appoint a press secretary, it is undermining the public’s right to information.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this  newspaper.)

(A Tale of Two Non-appointments)

 

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• A Tale of Two Non-appointments, Cabinet proceedings, Peeping Tom, People’s Progressive Party Civic, Secretary to the Cabinet

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