President announces plans to reshuffle Permanent Secretaries

…unsure about appointing a new Vice President

With the recent parliamentary resignations and Cabinet reshuffling, Guyana is now short of a Vice President, but President David Granger stated on Wednesday that no decision has been made on who or if anyone at all will be taking up the post.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge was one of Guyana’s four Vice Presidents. Since his resignation as a result of his dual citizenship status, there are now three Vice Presidents. The country’s other Vice Presidents are Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and Indigenous Peoples Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock.
Speaking with media operatives on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, President Granger stated a decision is yet to be made. Since Greenidge’s resignation, Dr Karen Cummings has taken up the role as Foreign Affairs Minister.
“Minister Karen Cummings has replaced him (Greenidge) as Foreign Affairs Minister but we have not decided yet whether an additional Vice President will be appointed at this point in time,” the President told the media on Wednesday.

Reshuffling
With the possibility of elections looming, President Granger nonetheless hinted at more changes within the various Ministries. This will be revealed between the ending of May and the beginning of June, he said.
“Other changes have to be made at the level of Permanent Secretaries and by the end of this month and the beginning of June, there should be some announcements,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, following his exit from the Foreign Affairs Minister, Greenidge was reappointed as Foreign Secretary at the Foreign Affairs Ministry with responsibility for the Department of Frontiers and Territorial Integrity and the Department of Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Former Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Business Minister Dominic Gaskin and Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine also resigned from Cabinet and the National Assembly, owing also to their dual citizenship status.
It was previously indicated that all these Ministers, with the exception of Gaskin, will be renouncing their second citizenship. Gaskin is a born Briton and according to the courts, by renewing his British passport he is pledging allegiance to another state.
Minister Cummings was sworn in to undertake her new responsibility along with new Minister of State Dawn Hastings-Williams; Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar; and new Public Service Minister, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley.
Cabinet members were reshuffled with Junior Ministers Annette Ferguson and Simona Charles-Broomes being transferred to their new posts after they were transferred from the Ministries of Public Infrastructure and Natural Resources, respectively.
Minister Ferguson was appointed Housing Minister within the Communities Ministry, while Minister Broomes holds the mantle for Youth Affairs within the Ministry of the Presidency.
Moreover, Minister Valerie Patterson-Yearwood was also reassigned as Minister of Rural Affairs within the Agriculture Ministry.
Harmon has since been appointed as Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of the Presidency announced that Gaskin was appointed Director of Manufacturing and Marketing within the Business Ministry with responsibility for the enforcement of standards, providing assistance to small producers and access to markets, particularly Eastern Caribbean markets.
Additionally, Dr Roopnaraine was appointed Director of Public Service Training within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for training standards at the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service, the Guyana Defence Force Staff College and the Guyana Police Force Staff College.