Granger talks Roopnaraine out of resigning

Jul 21, 2017 News

After he submitted a letter to President David Granger, wishing to no longer be a Minister within the two-year coalition government, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine has changed his mind.

Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine

His decision to remain would come after he met with the President on Wednesday last.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon, during the weekly post-Cabinet Press Briefing yesterday in Georgetown, said that Dr. Roopnaraine – the former Education Minister now head of the Public Service Department within the Ministry of the Presidency – met the Head of State where a ‘fruitful discussion’ took place.
Harmon who was present during the discussion said, “Dr. Roopnaraine will continue to serve as a Minister in the government as a Member of Parliament (MP) and as a valued member of our Cabinet,”
He went on to say that Dr. Roopnaraine’s contribution to this country, his ability and capacity to continue to contribute is one which the President spoke about and was very happy when Dr. Roopnaraine pledged to continue serving in the interest of all of Guyana.
“So he has withdrawn his letter of resignation then?” Harmon was asked, to which he responded, “Well, yes”.
Asked what would have prompted Dr. Roopnaraine to submit his resignation in the first place, Harmon made reference to recent articles which spoke about Dr. Roopnaraine’s heath.
“It is something that is already in the public domain: that he felt that his health situation was making it challenging for him to be able to contribute at the levels to which he is expected to contribute,” Harmon said.
He noted also that the President has given Dr. Roopnaraine assurances that support which he needs to ensure that he continues to function in the Ministry effectively, will be given to him.
Last month Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, a co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) was reassigned.
Roopnaraine, 74, has been in ill-health for a while now. The administration would have been worried about his workload at the big-budget Ministry of Education.
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, has since been performing the duties of Minister of Education.
WPA is a component of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), one of the partners of the coalition government with the Alliance For Change (AFC).
As part of an agreement, WPA ended up with the Ministry of Education portfolio.

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