New EITI membership – some wrong people, what is wrong with Guyana?

Sep 23, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

The article captioned, “Govt. finally names members to natural resources transparency body” (SN September 21) refers. The best I can say about this belated decision is that it is done. Some say, better late than never. I say some things are better left in the ‘never’ category. Doubts come when I noted some of the names in the “Multi Stakeholders” forum.
On the positive and clean side, I recognise Ms. Vanda Radzik, a tireless presence in Guyana’s affairs. I employ the qualifier ‘should’ in Ms. Radzik’s instance; because whenever the PPP is present in bodies like this, the party is confident that it has more representation than those of its allocated numbers. To state differently, PPP leaders can be assured that on the issues sensitive to the party’s interests (and people), they have sufficient people in the 12-member group to see things their way, and prevail. I have problems with some of the other names. Hence, I think that Ms. Radzik could find herself isolated and overwhelmed. I wouldn’t go on the same minibus with some of those known characters named to the body, whether first choice or alternate; and, by the way, that is in the daylight.
In addition, I take note of a name from a recent previous walk on the wild side in Guyana, where I had the distinct pleasure of sharing time and space with Andron Alphonso. He is a Guyanese of a particular stripe, who garnered my attention, over the course of several years, with his well-publicised likeness for wearing different hats, and changing them to adjust to the demands of his multilayered portfolio of interests. I thought I possessed some traces of the versatile, but must confess that Mr. Alphonso left me awed, and in the dust with his headshakes and head fakes. Even as I say that he is well suited to being a part of that group of illustrious (to be defined with great prudence) Guyanese, I must wonder how he is going to reconcile his association’s concern with the intrusiveness of the approaches and actions GYEITI – the same agency – and his, shall I say, sensitive oversight role. I could be off the reservation, but I think that this is tailor-made for what Sir Winston famously described as a “puzzle wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.” In my own simplified way of sharing, a comedy inside circumstances that could make for a crisis. I think that, like Ms. Radzik, Mr. Alphonso will do well. If there is one thing at which he excels, it is keeping his nose clean, and surviving.
As for some of the others, beside Ms. Sonya Roopnauth, with whom I have not had the pleasure of passing acquaintance, but have heard encouraging things about, I wouldn’t trust them to oversee garbage bins. They would first sell the garbage, then the bins and, last, the truck collecting. They may even own the landfill. This is governance in Guyana. Correction, the people doing the governing. Nice going.

Sincerely,
GHK Lall

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