Dear Editor,
I refer to a quote from Stabroek News’ article of October 15, titled “AG says Government can scrap orders to acquire Carmichael Street land”.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the argumentation surrounding this matter, there could hardly be a more comprehensive embarrassment emerging from the dialogue than the following alleged quote (albeit itemised):
‘I don’t know anything about running a Ministry.
‘I am a lawyer….
‘I inherited public officers in the Ministry, that’s what happened. They presented these things to me in the budget.
I don’t know what’s in the budget’.
Everyone who would have read the above declaration must anxiously hope that it was misreported; particularly those of his colleagues who were known to have objectively argued against the twinning of the portfolios of Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.
The grounds on which they may have based their reservations would appear to have been confirmed by the very utterances of someone who apparently has learnt of the attribute of humility found in the great CEOs which Jim Collins celebrates in his highly acclaimed book “Good to Great” – in which he admits to the surprising discovery of it making the difference between ‘Good’ and ‘Great leaders.
In this context, therefore, is the (proud?) admission to the public of the incapability of ‘running’ a Ministry to be regarded as evidence of’ greatness?
One wonders what would be Collins’ final evaluation, after having surveyed ‘inherited public officers’, as well as the framers of the budget, which would have to be contended in the National Assembly, by the relevant Agency, when that time comes.
Then there is the judiciary who must ponder on the implications for the image portrayed of comparable local competence to that of colleagues across the legal jurisdiction of Caricom.
It must be quite a discomfiting experience when, within this brief period of governance, confidence is made even more vulnerable by the ‘apology’ of another Minister having to be laid in Parliament – effectively for lack of knowledge of how to discharge his portfolio.
Is it to be interpreted that in 2016 there is a new governance policy which advocates that:”Confession is good for the soul?”
Sincerely,
EB John
