Two years of APNU+AFC: Who’s afraid of Granger?

May 08, 2017 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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The Deputy Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine can testify that last week I called him while a police operation was going on the highway outside of Subyranville. Police were stopping drivers at random. No one is afraid of David Granger, the President; Moses Nagamootoo, the Prime Minister; Khemraj Ramjattan the Minister of National Security. All the primitive and illegal indiscipline that characterized public institutions during the immoral breakdown in the Jagdeo era, are still with us.
Nothing has changed in this regard, despite two years of a government headed by a former army Brigadier and includes top former army and police officers. The powerful Minister of the Presidency is a former army officer. The Minister of Immigration and Citizenship is a former Police Commissioner. The CEO of SARA is a former army lieutenant. The President’s Press Liaison is a former decorated army officer. Yet there has been no concern on the part of erring public officials, whether judicial officers, public servants or big wigs in the extended public realm that the Government of Guyana is a no-nonsense administration that will not tolerate reckless, wanton and illegal behavior.
What is the reason for this lack of change? To answer this question, a footnote should be highlighted. Because of the security personnel that had joined the PNC to seek state power, it was natural for citizens to think that a new dispensation would be born; that public sector misbehaviour and police recidivism would cease; that they would be afraid to engage in illegalities and immoralities because a Presidency headed by an army brigadier would not encourage the wanton, debauched, philistine behaviour of those who serve the citizenry.
It didn’t turn out that way as one can observe in many ways. Pre 2015 behaviour of the police force is still the same in 2017. For three consecutive years, the press has carried a warning by the Police Commissioner that a traffic rank could only stop drivers on the observation of an infringement. Almost daily I see police stopping motorists at random. President Granger hit the front pages of the newspapers when he frowned on the archaic dress code for people entering public buildings and said it should be removed.
Most government-administered institutions still apply that code and the sign is emblazoned for all visitors to see. On the gate of the entrance to Cyril Potter’s College the code stares you in the face. Few public sector administrators have implemented President’s Granger’s wish. President Granger visited City Hall, addressed the Council and in unambiguous language asserted the right of Georgetowners to be consulted and urged City Hall to obey that right. City Hall has frowned on that presidential advice. The City Hall administrators pay little heed, if any, to the democratic urgings of President Granger.
There are pockets of corruption going on in the Gold Board, GGMA, CH&PA, GWI, GPL, the police force, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Public Infrastructure among other places. GRA and NIS officials do not operate as if there is a new government that has a no-nonsense approach to governance. The question is, Do the Coalition leaders have such an attitude? If they do, then the general public sector has ignored it. This is the where I think the two years of the Coalition has been a failure.
This society does not believe the President is a disciplinarian who is going to deal condignly with bad behaviour in the public service. Citizens think that the Prime Minister is a lackluster performer who is not interested in confronting the old ways under Jagdeo. The police force does not see Khemraj Ramjattan as a minister they need to tread carefully with because he is a strong disciplinarian.
One of the mitigating factors in favour of the Coalition is that it inherited about a million Augean stables of rotten public behavior under Presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar. Both men were videoed back-balling in public. You just don’t do that as a president.
What has happened is such philistinism, it generates disrespect for the power establishment. This is what Granger and Nagamootoo inherited.  It is not going to be easy to professionalize the police force, the NIS, the judicial system, the mining industry in just two years. But you have to make a start.
I disagree with the view that a beginning has begun. Leadership has to be democratic but it must also be assertive. In the eight years of his presidency, Obama arrested more whistle blowers than all the past presidents combined. I didn’t agree with that direction but the fact is he said I will not tolerate you doing that to my presidency.

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