Guyana’s Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that the cabinet and MPs will be known by Sunday or Monday. In every nation after an election or change of chief executive, a cabinet (ministerial portfolios) is constructed. It has taken the new government a week to form the cabinet following the declaration of the winner which itself took five days for announcement. As reported, President Irfaan Ali and his VP have constructed the cabinet and only they know all the appointees; the appointees themselves have been consulted and advised of their position. Several of the former Ministers will be re-appointed but not necessarily in same portfolios. Some were ‘misfits’ and don’t belong in the previous ministries. They lack the knowledge, skills, and capacity for the position held and didn’t grow with it. Some were very unpopular and arrogant; the public would like to see their back. Some were exemplary. I expect the Attorney General Anil Nandlall will be re-appointed because there is none like him in the country with the requisite legal savvy and expertise and intelligence combined with judiciousness, political acumen, wit, cunningness, incisiveness, charm, and charisma; and he is an extremely hard worker comparable with the President and VP. He will fit in easily also with Home Affairs which also requires legal skills and decisiveness.
Forming a cabinet in any country after an election can be difficult due to several factors; the leader has to reward so many people who contributed victory. In Guyana’s case, it is complex and complicated. I don’t jealous the President and VP. The President and VP have to reward loyalty but balance it with competence. In addition, there has to be balance in ethnicity, region, religion, party leadership, popularity of those who campaigned and their commitment and hard, gender, age, promises and commitments to certain individuals, among other factors. Also, several individuals crossed over from APNU and AFC to PPP; that precipitated a crisis in the opposition undermining any chance of its shock victory in the election. Those who crossed over will have to ‘be rewarded’ depending on their importance and contribution to PPP’s gains in the elections. Virtually none of them brought significant votes; but they brought ‘ethnic optics’ and as such will be rewarded with portfolios or board appointments or CEOs of government corporations, Ambassadorial posts, etc.
It would have been good if Guyana has a system in which the President and Vice President had to consult the public for approval of appointees. An American type Presidential system would also have been ideal for Guyana. In a true Presidential system with separation of powers, as in the US, the legislature (parliament) has the powers to confirm major appointees. In such a system, the public and the legislature hold the executive and the ministers accountable as is done in America.
The public eagerly awaits the announcement of portfolios.
