New PPP/C Cabinet: Cabinet members’ expertise augurs well for national development agenda – Jagdeo

… welcomes new advisors wishing to contribute while retaining core roles of national service

The new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has appointed a group of highly-skilled professionals from a number of key fields – something which the party’s General Secretary (GS) Bharrat Jagdeo says augurs well for the administration since it can tap into that expertise to advance its impressive national development agenda. On Saturday evening, President Dr Irfaan Ali swore in his 25-member Cabinet for the next five years, which saw some familiar Ministers returning coupled with a batch of fresh faces. The Head of State also announced the appointment of several presidential advisors including Shyam Nokta, Dr Mahendra Carpen, Dr Kofi Dalrymple and Mischka White-Griffith.

According to Jagdeo, who is the Head of the PPP/C’s List of Candidates and has returned as Vice President (VP) in the current administration, many of the highly-skilled individuals named in the party’s list, though successful in their respective professions, still wanted to make a contribution to the Government without having a political appointment. “Many of them have healthy, professional earnings and many of them did not want political positions too but they wanted to contribute, skills wise, to the success of the Government,” Jagdeo pointed out during a brief interview with the Guyana Standard on the sidelines of the swearing in ceremony of the new PPP/C Cabinet on Saturday. He went on to explain: “… we have achieved that by bringing in a number of people – Dr Carpen, Mischka White, Kofi Dalrymple, Thandi McAllister. All of them are coming in with their skills but they will still be functioning in their core jobs of service to the country.”
Nokta has been appointed as Presidential Advisor on Climate Change and Biodiversity; Dr Carpen, a renowned cardiologist, as Presidential Advisor on Science and Health Care Modernisation; Dr Dalrymple, as Advisor in the Ministry of Education on Tertiary Education Reform; White-Griffith as Chief Planning Officer in the Ministry of Education; and Geeta Chandan-Edmond as Senior Advisor to the Government. White-Griffith will also serve as Parliamentary Secretary for the Government alongside Thandi McAllister. Ruel Johnson was also appointed as advisor in the One Guyana Commission. Several Ministers in the last PPP/C Cabinet who are not returning to those offices were retained to offer expertise. These include Robeson Benn, who will serve as senior advisor in the Home Affairs and Natural Resources Ministries, while Joseph Hamilton will be a senior advisor in the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning.

More key appointments, continuous assessment on performance
Presidential Ali, who was re-elected alongside Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, for a second term at the September 1 General and Regional Elections, is expected to make other key appointments in the coming days as he streamlines the cohort of professionals to run his administration.

In his address at Saturday’s swearing-in of the new Cabinet, the Head of State cautioned the newly appointed Ministers that they will be continuously assessed with their performance measured by delivery and humility rather than power. Asked about this, President Ali told the Guyana Standard that he was clear in his charge to his Cabinet.
“They have to deliver on their programmes. They’ll be assessed on delivery, on the quality of service they’re giving our citizens, on attitude and responsibility. And if you don’t pass the assessment then you make rooms for others, so it is as simple as that. This is about efficiency, it’s about delivery, it’s about standards, it’s about service to the people and if you don’t cut the fit then there will be changes,” he declared. This message was supported by his VP, who noted that since the party has a huge plan for the transformation of the country and to deliver benefits to every citizen, there is a need to act swiftly on this agenda. “The Cabinet, therefore, that was appointed… [the President] made it clear that he’s gonna focus on efficiency and how hard they work and whether they’re fulfilling their responsibility. And should anyone not achieve those standards, that there shall be changes. It’s a long five years and there will be many other opportunities for the President to make those changes should people not be able to do their work,” VP Jagdeo stated. The 25-member Cabinet that was sworn in on Saturday includes: Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, returning as Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs; Gail Teixeira as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance; Hugh Hilton Todd as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Dr Ashni Singh as Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance; Dr Frank Anthony as Minister of Health; Vickram Bharrat as Minister of Natural Resources; Vindhya Persaud as Minister of Human Services and Social Security, and Kwame Mc Coy as Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister.
Also returning as Minister of Public Works is Juan Anthony Edghill, who will be supported by Madanlall Ramraj; Zulfikar Mustapha as Minister of Agriculture with Vickash Ramkissoon as his junior Minister; Collin Croal as Minister of Housing with Vanessa Benn as his junior Minister; and Charles Ramson as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports with Steven Jacobs as his junior Minister.
There were also a few reshuffles of Ministers who served the last cabinet. This saw Priya Devi Manickchand reassigned to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, while Sonia Savitri Parag takes the helm at the Ministry of Education. Oneidge Walrond is now the new Minister of Home Affairs, while Susan Rodrigues will now serve as Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
Meanwhile, some new faces have been introduced to the Cabinet with at least one new Ministry named, that is, the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, which will be headed by Deodat Indar. Among the new faces is Zulfikar Ally, who will serve as Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation; Sarah Browne-Shadeek as Minister of Amerindian Affairs, and Keoma Griffith as Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning. These 25 Ministers will be joined in the Parliament by James Bond, Zamal Hussain, Seepaul Narine, Bagmatie Veerasammy, Suresh Singh, Vishwa Mahadeo, Jennifer Westford, Alister Charlie, Anand Persaud, Lenox Shuman, Peter Ramsaroop, Sanjeev Datadin, and Sonia Latchman.