Small parties board members appointed without full consultation

Sep 06, 2020 News

– Harmon says Teixiera’s excuse for main opposition exclusion “vulgar and indecent”

In the past few days, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has been dismantling state boards and appointing new members.

APNU+AFC Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon

Minister of Governance and Parliament Affairs, Gail Texiera

A number of the members include members of the smaller opposition party members- The New Movement (TNM), The Citizenship Initiative (TCI), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and the United Republican Party (URP).
What is surprising, however, is not the fact that these party members have been appointed across multiple state boards, but rather the fact that a number of these small party executives were appointed without prior consultation.
Take for example Rondha Lam, an executive of the TCI, who had been appointed to function as a board member under the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
Lam indicated on her Facebook page on Friday that she only became aware of her appointment after a reporter had enlightened her.
She said on a Facebook post: “For the folks asking about my appointment as a GWI board member: like you I found out today when a reporter called to tell me I was on the board after it was gazetted today. That’s it.”
However, when Kaieteur News spoke to another TCI executive, Shaz Ally, he indicated that he was indeed informed of his appointment to the board of the National Communications Network (NCN).
He told this publication yesterday that TCI was asked to submit five names to sit on state boards, along with background information on each nominee.
“They placed me on NCN,” Ally said. “Cabinet approved it and I was informed by Minister Kwame McKoy, yesterday (Friday).”
Another executive who was not informed of his appointment is Vishnu Bandhu, another party executive, but this time from the URP. Bandhu was appointed to serve under the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL).
Notably, the PPP/C regime has appointed no members from the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration to serve on any state board. In fact, during a virtual AFC press conference on Friday, party executives David Patterson and Khemraj Ramjattan had told the press that the new government has not reached out to the party, requesting that names be submitted for the appointments.
However, the Minister of Governance and Parliament Affairs, Gail Teixiera defended the government’s decision to exclude members of the APNU+AFC, seeing that the previous regime continues to label the government as an “illegitimate” one.
In a Stabroek News article published yesterday, Teixiera related that: “They say that we are an illegitimate government. If we are an illegitimate government why would you want to dig on any board we are appointing? They have got themselves into what you call a problematic position. You can’t say you want to be on boards, but you don’t recognize the government that is appointing those boards.”
Recently sworn in Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon issued a statement yesterday in response to Texiera’s comments, where he sought to maintain the PPP/C government’s illegitimacy. He also wrote to advise the PPP/C Minister that there is a difference between the State and Government.
“The State of Guyana,” Harmon wrote, “is a legal entity that operates in perpetuity. Governments come and go… It is the Parliament that passes laws not the Government. For the avoidance of doubt, Parliament comprises both Government and Opposition, making it a State entity. Therefore, where the law requires Opposition representatives to sit on boards, the Government is required to comply.”

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