Wanted: Public officials who will stand for principles

Mar 02, 2023 Editorial

Kaieteur News – If only we had a little handful of government ministers, some strong Permanent Secretaries of the highest ethical substance, men and women of rare courage who will stand for something, then Guyana could march along a better road. For then, longsuffering Guyanese will begin to get a glimpse of what truth and transparency are really like and real value for their tax dollars. It would be a start to something better, more of deep substance and less of shallow speeches.

At least, a few government ministers, and the equivalent number in Permanent Secretaries (or pivotal Heads of Department) would give us something which we don’t have today. We would have a benchmark relative to what character and credibility are all about, and just because of the output of their minds and their hands.

We ask our readers to think of these things in these early days of March. For if we could find them to stand for something, better management of oil, clean governance, principled leadership, then so much could be made of our gifts.

If only we could have four or five State institutions, we would be thankful for what is considered the pricelessness of their presences. Less than a half a dozen of such State agencies, and the whole of Guyana would be talking about them because they would represent something radically different, they would give hope, and all because they are about what is good for Guyanese, and how much more they can be trusted to deliver.

All we ask for is this handful, and we could name some constitutional agencies, but we leave that to the intelligence of Guyanese to figure out which they would like to have for their peace of mind. This small number should not be a difficulty of any proportions for any country. The problem is that Guyana is not just any country, and to mention even this, small number State agencies of the highest reputations would be enough to cause powerful politicians and their cabals a stroke. Because if we have them, then there is no telling of what they know, and what they may do with such power and such knowledge. There would be great anxieties in the highest circles here, with the cunning and devious walking around on eggshells, scared of their own shadows. We point to the local EITI, and shake our heads.

If only we could have three or four oversight bodies of credibility, peopled by those whose first callings are commitment to honour, and the will to do their duty fearlessly, then they would speak and act with assurance and authority. Those oversight bodies would be the talk and joy of all Guyana, they will do right by us. For there were such people in Guyana at one time, only for their political or public service descendants to yield to temptations and corrupt themselves. What we have for oversight bodies are rank extensions of those places and issues that sicken our existence. Darkness thickens, white-collar crimes multiply, and politicians sing for joy because it is business as usual.

No! We are trying to do any imitation of Rudyard Kipling and his immortal contribution to literature, all we at this paper are trying to do is express our heartfelt yearnings for the Guyana that we could have, if only we had the right people, only a few.

The above are only a start, should convey what we live with from government to government. We long for leadership cleanliness and political will, but concoctions and deceptions multiply. We wish for bureaucratic integrity and public servant fidelity, only for the crass, crooked, and criminal to roam at will. Which place can build on this, ensure prosperity for all, with agencies and bureaucrats like these?

There is no if about Guyana’s oil anymore. If now we can surround it with the best, brightest and straightest that this country could find, then the world is ours. If only we can have impeccable leadership around it to make it work to our best advantage, then there is no limit to our possibilities. If only we could have the national harmony that powers us toward a truly national destiny. If only… If only…

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Editorial, Ministers, principles, public, Secretaries

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