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High expectations and a clean slate

Dec 06, 2011 Editorial

 

Newly elected president Donald Ramotar has identified his Cabinet. He swore in the members today. Many of the changes were expected but in the end the new Cabinet is not strikingly different from what was in place.
For example, Ramotar is sending a signal that he wants to see a change in many areas. He has removed Shaik Baksh from the Ministry of Education and has replaced him with Priya Manickchand. This is understandable since Guyana’s education policy needs a total revamp and Baksh seems incapable of delivering this revamp.
Besides, for all the money spent on the Education sector there has not been any significant improvement.
There are changes in the Trade Ministry. Manniram Prashad is no longer there. Neither is Manzoor Nadir who used his party’s vote to support the incumbent People’s Progressive party.  Nadir headed the Labour Ministry and toward the end of his tenure there was a lot wrong. Bauxite workers in the Berbice area appeared to be at the mercy of the employer.
For a working class party one would have expected a more dynamic Labour Ministry but this was something that Nadir appeared incapable of delivering.
Other significant changes include removing Robert Persaud from the Ministry of Agriculture and Senior Counsel Charles Ramson from the post of Attorney General. Both of these moves seem to be a case of Ramotar making his own statement. Persaud was always seen as Bharrat Jagdeo’s protégé and at one stage he appeared to be the president in waiting.
His was the task of disbursing large sums of money to ensure that the agriculture sector realize its full potential. Billions of dollars went into that sector but there is precious little to show. The canals that were supposed to be cleared are little better than they were before the exercise.
He presided over the repeated corrections to facilities controlled by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and he assumed responsibility for sugar cultivation. Today, he may not be at the centre of the financial disbursements but in keeping with his association with President Jagdeo he now has responsibility for the environment.
Manniram Prashad moved tourism along to the point where visitors got a traditional Guyanese welcome on arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. He presided over the arrival of cruise ships and saw some of the largest come to Guyana. He was responsible for Guyana to be made an international birding destination and he helped promote nature tourism.
It was under his watch that Guyana attracted some of the leading nature journalists to pen articles on the pristine forests.
However, there are some appointments. Bishop Juan Edghill is now a Minister within the Finance Ministry. One can only assume that his performance in the postal sector in which he improved the image of all the postal facilities nationally contributed to this appointment. Another is the appointment of Ganga Persaud as the Local Government Minister.
The emergence of some party stalwarts is expected. Alli Baksh and Dharamkumar Seeraj are appointments that seem to be rewards for sterling contributions to the cause of the People’s Progressive Party.
Dr Ashni Singh, Dr Jennifer Westford, Robeson Benn, Pauline Sukhai and Dr Frank Anthony retain their positions, as does Clement Rohee. These performed in the Jagdeo administration.
What can the nation expect from this new Cabinet? On the labour scene, there is a new Minister who is no stranger to the labour movement. One can only assume that he is familiar with the players in the labour movement, that he understands the issues and above all, that he is still an adherent of the tenets of his party which prides itself as a labour friendly organization.
The long road to development has begun. The people appointed must begin to prove that they justify the appointments. Some of their predecessors made hollow promises with the result that the party paid a heavy price at the polls. They must prove that they merit their new appointments.

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