The Joe Harmon tempest rages on

Apr 10, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Amid the deluge of deserved criticism of Mr. Harmon’s appointment of Brian Tiwari as a ‘Government Adviser on Business’, some defenses of his actions are misconceived, including from Mr. Hinds ( KN/7/ 2016 ) and Mr. Tell (KN 9/4/2016).
The criticisms of Mr. Harmon’s actions in the BK hiring affair have nothing to do with “ witch hunts, vendettas, and exclusion”, or comparisons with “appointments made by Dr. Luncheon as Cabinet Secretary” of the PPP, or Mr. Tiwari’s ethnicity, or even Mr. Harmon’s integrity and authority to procure government services. It has to do with his judgement; apparent lack of political astuteness and statecraft; indiscriminate and reckless use of his powers; damage to his President and government; careless, if not dangerous disrespect for the AFC; andcontempt for APNU-AFC supporters. The issue is therefore partly political optics/public perception and partly a matter of substance, both cumulatively critical in the life and survival of any government.
The optics includes public perceptions of Mr. Tiwari’s association with the PPP regime. It is not merely his association with the PPP that matters, it is his association with an indiscriminate regime, which is widely recognized by Guyanese as operating a very tainted and corrupt government procurement system; one in which Mr. Tiwari was perceived to be, in local parlance, wrapped up ‘like lollipop in sweetie paper’. Guyanese believe that Mr. Tiwari benefited handsomely and unfairly from a corrupt system. This action therefore immediately introduces the element of mistrust of the APNU-AFC administration. It is irrelevant whether that mistrust is real or imagined since perceptions matter in the public affairs of government. More importantly, the broad political message hurts the APNU and AFC. Both made corruption, especially corruption which was identified as connected to the government procurement system under the PPP, a centerpiece of their 2014-2015 electoral messaging. Imprinted in the minds of Guyanese generally and the APNU-AFC supporters in particular is the idea the PPP cannot be trusted, and people like Mr. Tiwari is perceived by the public to haveconspired with a corrupt PPP. Given that context it is bad judgement and wholly inappropriate for Mr. Harmon to pick Mr. Tiwari. It makes the APNU-AFC administration look hypocritical and untrustworthy. In this regard his action was at least careless if not reckless. He was oblivious to the consequences. People soon accumulate much disdain and resentment for the hypocritical and untrustworthy.
There are several elements regarding the substance of Mr. Harmon’s actions. The manner of Mr. Tiwari’s appointment is distasteful in and of itself. The lack of courtesy shown to the President, his immediate superior, must have caused the President great embarrassment; it was dishonorable. Good heavens Mr. Editor! Mr. Harmon is the Minister of State within the Office of the President. What can anyone say? The disrespect shown to the Minister of Business, the substantive holder of the Cabinet portfolio for Business, and to the Cabinet is therefore a threat to the APNU-AFC Alliance, because the Minister of Business is from the AFC wing. It diminishes and humiliates the AFC. In this regard his action makes the APNU-AFC look unhinged.
Military people are not always the most subtle in government. A retired Lieutenant Colonel and now Minister, Mr. Harmon sometimes behave as though he is still in uniform (no disrespect of uniformed officers generally intended). He has exposed this problem more than once in matters involving governmental affairs, which requires deftness in statecraft. Military people pride themselves as careful and disciplined, trained to exercise sound judgement and as the ones who just want to get on with the job. No trouble with these per se, except that Mr. Harmon displayed both lack discipline and soundness of judgement in the approach taken in this case. An outside observer cannot be certain about each of his motives. Corrupt motivations have been inferred by other commentators but not demonstrated. However, since appearances matter in public life, one cannot help thinking about possible unsavory motivations, given whom he picked and how he went about picking the wrong horse to race for the government.
Ivor Carryl

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