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The government and cricket
Dear Editor,
I would like to share a story from my days in Cricket. A regional national team was encamped and a former West Indian player was employed to give technical assistance. The man was impressive in the conference room; he laid out a plan to ensure success.
His language was that of Cricket and he stressed that the bowlers had to bowl in ‘good areas’ to opposing batsmen. This, he stated, was the key to success.
He beamed as his audience of first-class players nodded and applauded. We then went onto the field to practice; it was here I spoke my first words of the day, I suggested to the semi-legend that he observe only as I asked the players to indicate with chalk, where exactly on the pitch was the aforementioned ‘good area’.
Editor, only Paul Keens Douglas could do justice to the ensuing geometric confusion. Suffice it to say, we spent a productive session explaining ‘good areas’ to players who had been at the pinnacle of the game for many years.
The lesson I learned from that ‘good areas’ session was that we often expect persons at the top of the game to know the specifics related to the generalities used to describe their functions. However, in reality, even the professionals need to be guided.
The reason for my lengthy preamble is that I have noticed that the APNU+AFC Administration seems not to understand their function in the governance of Guyana. APNU+AFC has been elected to administer the executive arm of Government; the functions include governance of Guyana.
The President is the Head of State, the supreme executive authority. The President appoints the Prime Minister and other Ministers and assigns responsibilities to them. The Cabinet consists of the President, Prime Minister and any other Ministers His Excellency sees fit to include. As a collective, they formulate policy, promote ideas and projects for the betterment of the country.
Sadly, much like the cricketers, this Cabinet is caught up in geometric confusion, going in aimless circles, providing very little by way of vision other than talk about a ‘good life’ that is on the pitch somewhere.
Editor, APNU+AFC has been in Government as part of the legislature for some time, albeit on the opposition benches, and oddly they appear to be stuck in opposition mode, playing politics with every issue; the transparent orchestration of the ‘temporary’ nationalization of the Berbice Bridge Company is only the latest in a long string of events.
The use of government agencies and departments for political purpose has led to serious undermining of the integrity of those agencies, SOCU and the DPI being the most glaring examples. These agencies will struggle to regain credibility in the future.
Oil is looming large and no one is quite sure who or what entity represents the interests of the People of Guyana. Is it the Department of Energy with its director who is ‘learning on the job’ or is it the responsibility of the President as he articulated a week before his departure for Cuba. Is Acting President Nagamootoo our Oil czar? We know it is not the Ministry of the Presidency, having been told quite explicitly that he had no reason to meet with Oil executives.
Editor, this team with or without its captain, is a poor one. The active ministers have no idea where to bowl the ‘good life’ ball and the ceremonial ones such as Social Cohesion, Education and Sports are not in fielding position. They are scattered all over the field like free range chickens.
The Burnham administration rewrote the constitution in 1980; the PPP made 192 amendments to that 1980 constitution in 23 years, at an average of nine per year; these included the establishment of an Ethnic Relations Commission, A Public Procurement Commission and the introduction of Presidential term limits.
Editor the APNU+AFC Executive is yet to make a single amendment to our Constitution. Of course, our Executive President has seen fit to ignore Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana and thereby rendering it useless. This may well end up being his legacy to the nation, that and D’Urban Park and its humongous tattered Golden Arrowhead hanging listlessly.
Editor, it is my fervent wish that His Excellency makes a healthy return to Guyana and steps up to the crease and delivers a ball that hits a ‘good area’ and delivers the ‘good life’ for all Guyanese, one that changes his legacy from negative to positive; that’s a ball we can all cheer.
Respectfully
Robin Singh
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