PPP Parliamentarian sought to mislead readers

Nov 11, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I couldn’t help but pen this letter in response to one in yesterday’s edition of your newspaper by Harry Gill M.P. headlined ‘APNU-AFC Ministers are spending taxpayers’ money to tour the world’. I have no difficulty with the MP advancing an argument to suggest that the government is up to some “games” in an effort to postpone parliamentary debate on an issue about which it is taking some “heat”.
But in so doing the MP must use credible information and evidence and not attempt to mislead the population about the importance of the meetings and events which the President and Ministers attend.One of the criticisms I heard of the previous administration from officials of some international agencies and officials of other governments is that Guyana was not represented at several key meetings where the strength of the regional integration grouping CARICOM needed to be clearly demonstrated in order to get the desired results that were in the best interest of the countries of the region.
Another criticism of the former administration was that there was a key Minister who attended critical negotiations alone, without even one aide, did not make notes and depended heavily on his colleague Ministers to submit their reports before Guyana presented its report and confirmed its position on certain issues.
I have no reason to question the validity of the criticisms of my sources and therefore must conclude that such absenteeism and lack of support staff at meetings are highly unacceptable. This new government cannot and must not operate in similar fashion especially at this time when Guyana needs to exploit every available opportunity to benefit from decisions taken at the international level that will help to address the many challenges the country faces.
While one accepts that government spending must be prudent and cost effective Guyana cannot afford to absent itself from any meeting and/or event to which it is invited especially in the light of the efforts to frustrate our economic development by a neighbor who lays claim to our territory and maritime space and is aggressively pursuing that claim in every available fora.
What one hopes is that when our ministers and other officials travel abroad they make full use of the opportunity to promote and discuss all aspects of Guyana’s development needs.
The Health Minister, while dealing with the issues of his portfolio must find a way to include information about the fact that Guyana is looking for new markets for its rice; the Tourism Minister must tout investment in the Essequibo region; the agriculture minister must highlight the facts in favor of Guyana’s position on the controversy with Venezuela and the Attorney General must be on the look out for contacts he might make with officials who are involved in organizations with expertise on dealing with suicides.
And they must not only attend the formal meetings. They must go to the cocktail parties and engage in serious networking always on the lookout for someone or two they might meet who could be of assistance to Guyana. And yes they can have a drink or two…..it is not an offense for a Minister to have a drink on the job…it is an offense if s/he can’t “hold” their drinks on the job.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Harry Gill would seek to mislead the population into believing that the overseas travel by the president and ministers are merely junkets and by citing inaccurate information such as the size of the President’s delegation to the UN General Assembly and that it cost the government for Carl Greenidge’s participation in the Florida Conference. Much better is expected of a MP and Mr. Gill they should know that. We must all put Guyana first and not use serious national necessities for partisan political purposes.
Wesley Kirton

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