A little room to breathe and a podium of their own!

Dec 01, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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…Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- Week after week, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) holds court at his party’s headquarters, pontificating on everything from the cost of purchased power to the correct temperature at which to fry an egg. It’s a dazzling display of omniscience.

At last Thursday’s PPP press conference, Bharrat Jagdeo was asked, by Dennis Chabrol of Demerara Waves why the top brass of the Guyana Police Force have not held any press conferences over the past two years, especially when there have been kidnappings, abductions, high-profile armed robberies and other violent crimes.

The General Secretary of the party in response said that he cannot imagine why the police has not held a press conference to address concerns in the media. He went on to state that the police force does have a great story to tell about all the changes that the government has been making [in the security sector] and that they do need to tell that story.

One cannot help but marvel at the irony of Jagdeo’s response. His lament that the police haven’t been telling their “great story” is akin to a ventriloquist wondering why his dummy never speaks without him. Could it be that the dummy has been rendered mute by the ventriloquist’s constant chatter?

The General Secretary’s Thursday routine has become a one-man show so exhaustive; it leaves no stone unturned and no ministry unspoken for. Education? Covered. Infrastructure? Addressed. Security? Naturally. Oil and gas? Of course. By the time he’s done, one wonders if the ministers are left sitting in their offices and asking, “What’s left for us to say?”

If Jagdeo were to pause for a moment of self-reflection he might realize that his weekly monologues are crowding out the very voices he wishes to amplify. The Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Finance etc. After all, why call your own press conference when the General Secretary is already doing your job, with added flair?

Instead of dominating the airwaves every Thursday, Jagdeo should step aside and let the ministries do the talking. The government, after all, is not short of capable communicators. Thanks to a series of strategic poaching manoeuvres, it has recruited some of the best and brightest from Guyana’s private media. In fact, the government now boasts a press and public relations corps so robust that it could rival the staff of a mid-sized television network.

Imagine the possibilities! The Ministry of Home Affairs could host weekly updates on crime and security, allowing them to explain why, despite everyone’s best efforts, bandits still seem to have a better work ethic than most civil servants. The Ministry of Natural Resources could unveil a series of glossy presentations on oil production, with pie charts, bar graphs, and a sprinkle of vague optimism about “transformational development.” Even the Ministry of Agriculture could get in on the action, perhaps with a cooking segment showcasing innovative ways to prepare cassava.

Better yet, why not revive the post of Cabinet Secretary, a position that once served as the bridge between the government and the public? The Cabinet Secretary could hold regular post-Cabinet press briefings, providing a structured, centralized forum for disseminating information. This would allow Jagdeo to focus on his true calling: verbally eviscerating the opposition while flashing smiles for photo-ops with the very individuals he spends hours lambasting.

The revival of the post if Cabinet Secretary would be a win-win. The ministries would regain their autonomy, the public would get coherent updates on government policies, and Jagdeo would be free to refine his rhetorical skills without having to worry about overshadowing anyone.

There is, of course, a danger in continuing down the current path. A government that centralizes all communication through one man, risks looking less like a democratic institution and more like a personality cult. And while Jagdeo’s encyclopaedic knowledge of every sector might be impressive, it’s also a tad unsettling. As someone once said, “If you’re too good at everything, people start to wonder if you’re human” or superhuman.

By decentralizing the flow of information and empowering ministries and agencies to speak for themselves, the government could foster a more transparent and inclusive dialogue with the public. It would also spare Jagdeo the Herculean task of knowing everything about everything, which, let’s face it, must be exhausting for the man.

Jagdeo has certainly mastered the art of showing up—every Thursday, without fail. But perhaps it’s time for him to take a step back and let others share the stage. After all, it was he who said that the ruling party has plenty of talented individuals. Why not give them a little room to breathe and a podium of their own.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this  newspaper.)   

(A little room to breathe and a podium of their own!)

 

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• A little room to breathe, General Secretary, Peeping Tom, People’s Progressive Party Civic

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