Former world leader and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s career has been defined by the unpopular choices she made while in Government in order to save her country from economic ruin and social decline during the late 1980s.
Thatcher, who was severely criticised for being a woman and a political outsider at a time when only men dominated the political arena at home and abroad, understood that she could only reform Britain by going against the grain and defying the self-centred political demands of her colleagues in the Conservative Party.
She knew fully well that she had to wrestle with the forces within her party first in order to pilot a new political culture that would see the relics and newcomers understanding the need for a more modern and inclusive form of Government that was more concerned about fighting poverty, reducing unemployment, eliminating crime, and boosting the scope of social services offered with a view of getting people off of welfare and in a position where they could stand on their own two feet.
In short, Thatcher never gave in to intemperate political demands of politicians on either side of the divide. If the demands were reasonable, sound and practical, she accepted. But, she upheld the law even when she went against the grain. She fought. She led and held every Minister she appointed to account and high standards. She insisted that she “did not care how much” her “Ministers talk so long as they did what they said”. She is quoted as saying “Being Prime Minister is a lonely job, you cannot lead from the crowd”. In the end, she won her opponents and became the longest-serving British PM with epochal accomplishments under her belt.
There is much, therefore, that President David Granger can learn from the experiences of Mrs Thatcher if he is interested in turning the fortunes of his A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government around and, of course, the country. He must start by leading from the front and providing not just general direction to his Ministers about his expectations, but specific outcomes and timelines that must be achieved based upon commitments made in the coalition’s manifesto.
Mr Granger must also avoid the temptation of coming to the rescue of his Ministers whenever they find themselves at the centre of self-engineered corruption and political scandals. In fact, Mrs Thatcher had remarked: “If you want to cut your own throat, do not come to me for a bandage”. He, therefore, must always be seen as a defender of the people’s interest and someone with a small appetite for ministerial incompetence and underperformance (such as Minister Henry’s Phagwah mix-up, Independence Day seating chaos and chatree statements).
His current leadership style appears to be laissez-faire in nature. This is very evident when one looks at the quality of policy decisions that are adumbrated by key personnel in his administration (VAT on private education). Until such time that Mr Granger tightens his grip on those rogue elements in his Cabinet, the public will continue to feel slighted, neglected, disillusioned, and betrayed. He must make some critical changes within his Executive circle if he plans on being re-elected at the next election.
It is not good for any President to be seen as flouting the Constitution that they took an oath to protect or engaging in any form of illegality in order to achieve political objectives (unilateral appointment of GECOM’s Chairman). It is also not desirable for any leader to be seen as facilitating corruption or secrecy. While he has no doubt conducted himself personally and publicly in an admirable way, the same cannot be said for key persons in his immediate circle.
Mr Granger must also take a stand against all forms of arrogance that flow from his Executive circle. There is enough evidence that resentment for certain Executive acts that are being perceived as racially and ethnically discriminatory (firing of mostly Indo-Guyanese) is running high among a large portion of Guyanese. He should redouble his efforts to remove this perception.
In the words of Mrs Thatcher “standing in the middle of the road is way too dangerous because you can get knocked down by traffic on both sides”. If he does provide the leadership the Government needs to perform exceptionally, maybe Mrs Thatcher was right when she said way back in the 70s: “If you need something said ask a man, but if you need something done ask a woman.”
