Ministries wallowing in massive underperformance-PPP

Sep 06, 2017 News

With the presentation of the 2018 budget just two months away, opposition members are already

Opposition Member, Bishop Juan Edghill

scrutinizing the performance of several ministries for the year.
In fact, members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) are of the view that most ministries, if not all, have been wallowing in massive underperformance for the past two years.
Specifically making such assertions recently was PPP Executive Member, Juan Edghill. Edghill told Kaieteur News that when one assesses the performance of several ministries, it is clear that some Government officials are not doing anything at all. In local Guyanese parlance, the former Junior Finance Minister said, “They just deh.”
Edghill asserted that the government and its Ministers have essentially failed to inspire the people of Guyana. He opined that the job of the Executive is to give citizens a sense of understanding of where they are taking the country, how they are going to get there and what would be the benefit when they get there.
The PPP Executive Member opined, “When I think about the various ministries and how they are overloaded with Ministers, as a citizen, I am yet to be inspired. We see more bureaucratic bungling; rampant display of incompetence; insensitivity to the perceived and real needs of the Guyanese people and policies that make no sense.”
Apart from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by Vice President Carl Greenidge, which in

Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes

Edghill’s eyes, has maintained a stable position as it relates to the nation’s representation and advancing of its national ideals, there is hardly any other ministry that is making sense in the current construct.
The Opposition member commented that the Ministry of Legal Affairs has become a total disaster; the Ministry of Social Protection is now a laughing stock and the Ministry of Public Health remains scandal ridden.
Edghill said, “As for the Ministry of Finance, it is putting out nice statements and crunching numbers but the economy is still stagnant. With respect to the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, it is yet to articulate a policy direction that the Guyanese people can buy into. Making declaratory statements is not policy direction.
“Here is a simple question: What has been done to improve telecommunications and related services in Guyana in the past two years? Let Minister Cathy Hughes state publically, one thing she has done in terms of improving this.”
The Opposition Member added, “The internet is still bouncing, it going and coming. They said

Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin

they are giving you 4G service when most times, you are getting three or three and a half.”
Edghill was also very critical of the performance of the Ministry of Natural Resources. He said that the Ministry has the benefit of two ministers but it continues to be mishandled.
The politician said, “Miners are crying out every day. At one point, they did not even participate in the Mining Week, and I don’t have to mention what is going on with oil… There are more suspicions than confidence there.”
In addition to criticizing the Ministries of Communities and Public Security, Edghill lumped in the same category, the Ministry of Business. In fact, he deemed it the Ministry of “NO” business which is headed by AFC Member, Dominic Gaskin.
Edghill said, “Your performance is not by how many cocktails you attend or trips you make abroad. Let the Minister of Business tell the nation of one significant Foreign Direct Investment that he has made since his tenure… Let him tell us what is the sum total of the money that has flowed into the economy as a result of FDIs or his ministry’s input. Our contention is that there is none…Locally, the business sector is stagnated. In fact, there is a reduction in imports and exports.”
The Opposition member continued, “Whether you call it the Ministry of Industry and Commerce or Business, you indeed, need to have a person in a position dealing with the private sector and who would put forward government’s policy as well as bring in business.
“We need it. But if you have people who are incompetent but paid high salaries …then one is left

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan

to wonder if something is something wrong with Guyana.”
Turning his attention to another area, Edghill said he would give Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson an A+ for bluff. He said that Patterson’s Ministry is one which continues to require much attention and intervention.
Edghill opined that at the moment, there is a growing discontent among contractors. In this regard, he commented, “We believe that there are special people earmarked ahead of time for certain projects and a lot of things are being stalled to accommodate that. So the underperformance of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) at this time is particularly due to the underperformance at the Ministry of Public infrastructure.”
Edghill also criticized President David Granger for failing to meet with the media, which has been calling for him to host a press conference for some time.
The Parliamentarian said that when one looks at the big picture, the problem is not with a lack of funding. He said that the struggle is with proper management, efficient project implementation and proper monitoring and evaluation. He said that this cuts across every Ministry; it has left the Government open to criticisms of incompetence.

1 thoughts on “Ministries wallowing in massive underperformance-PPP”

melkend September 6, 2017 at 10:01 am

Imagine Edghill talking about 4G. What did the Government he was in do with the fiber optic cable? Obvious he does not understand the infrastructure necessary for such service, nor does he understand what it takes to finance such project even though he was supposed to have been a junior finance minister. What is his background in finance or public management ?