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Robert Persaud’s work as Foreign Secretary will be to clean out the Augean stables at the Ministry

Aug 20, 2020 Letters

Dear Editor,

Are former Ministers of Government not expected to work after leaving office? An article in the Stabroek News (19.08.20) seems to suggest that Robert Persaud is guilty of something by starting an Oil & Gas consultancy. Work and growth are essential for any man and when it also contributes to nation building, all the better. The article also suggests that there are unaddressed allegations of impropriety in the former minister of Natural Resources past; this is patently false as all allegations have been responded to with detailed explanations.
The best explanation for the sale of oil blocks that have been among the subjects addressed by the Global Witness report of 2020 comes from an Oilnow.gy story (15.7.2019) “The financial risk was high and the prospects of finding oil off the Guyana coast were low in the lead-up to the 2015 drill campaign that saw the largest discovery for that year being made at the Liza field. The level of uncertainty was so pronounced that ExxonMobil’s partner at the time – Royal Dutch Shell – looked at the same data that led to the Liza discovery and made a fateful decision to exit the South American country.”
Robert Persaud was the first to concede that the People’s Progressive Party lost the elections in 2015 and for that, he has earned the ire of many a party faithful; it may, however, be a good time for those upset by the appointment of Robert as Foreign Secretary to reflect on how they felt when David Granger took five months to concede. Hindsight is 20/20 and in retrospect, many may want to reconsider their views on the man and his actions.
Robert Persaud was not very visible on the campaign trail, preferring to let newer voices be heard, Robert worked tirelessly behind the scenes on logistics of the nationwide movement of party activists and campaign material. A political campaign that lasted 15 months takes a toll on all participants and behind-the-scenes workers; all who worked with Robert were thankful for the experienced advice and helpful assistance provided.
On the 16th August, a story surfaced on Gordon Moseley’s Newssourcegy.com that “Several Guyanese Diplomats in Guyana and abroad have expressed concern and worry about a statement issued by the US Assistant Secretary of State, Michael Kozak which appears to point to a changing of Guyana’s position on the internal affairs in Venezuela”. This was after Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Todd had made a presentation to the Lima Group that left no doubt that Guyana respects the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box. On September 16, 2019, The United States (US) Department of State had similarly thanked Guyana for its support in the 14-member Lima Group that is seeking to find a peaceful end to the political and humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Venezuela. It was immediately clear that a level of unprofessionalism had seeped into the Foreign Service and a strong political administrator was required to right the ship.
In accepting the post of Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud is giving back to the nation. The job is not a glamorous one, it will entail a review of every job and every person’s performance in the Ministry, a reorganization to maximize efficiency and modernize a Ministry shaped by Forbes Burnham in the ’70s. The Foreign Secretary has the thankless and difficult task of cleaning the Augean stables that will test every bit of patience and require him to call on every bit of experience he acquired while serving as Minister of Agriculture and his time at Natural Resources. This is the time to rally round and give all the support you can for the benefit of all Guyanese.
Yours truly,
Robin Singh

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