…President talks up gains since coalition assumes office
PRESIDENT David Granger has said that he does not envisage any major addition or change to his Cabinet even as he stated that the administration has done tremendously well despite the odds.
Wednesday marked three years since the APNU+AFC Government has been in office. “Every person I appointed in May 2015 is still in the Cabinet; there have only been changes in terms of establishing the Ministry of Telecommunications and so forth, but I want to keep the Cabinet small,” said President Granger in an invited comment at State House on Wednesday.
It has been three years since the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government was elected to office and the President said he does not believe that there will be an expansion from 15 main ministries any time soon.
President Granger believes that the members of Cabinet are enough to deal with new and existing challenges. “It is just a matter of ensuring we overcome some of the challenges we faced in May 2015,” said the President, adding that commentators do not understand the difficulties they face in terms of finance and international relations, among other things.
Sober analysts would be able to see “tremendous” progress, he asserted, noting that for the first time since Independence, they have a situation where the territorial case with Venezuela will be going to the court. “In relation to the changes in wages and pension, if you innumerate the improvements over the last three years, the Government has done a lot,” he said.
In addition, aside from the recent tragedy in Suriname waters, President Granger said they were able to suppress piracy in Guyana waters but, the recent incident involving Guyanese fishermen showed that they still have to ensure that piracy is uprooted.
The President also noted the problems in the prison service but said they are not of their making. However, they are working to overcome them with the assistance and advice of regional and international counterparts. For instance, he pointed out that the Security Sector Reform report is with Cabinet and will be revealed when they have completed their deliberations. “Once it is done, there is nothing to hide. There are serious security challenges but we are deeply concerned about the security conditions and the sooner we implement those reforms the better,” said President Granger. He maintained that government is confident that they would be able to deliver a better and safer life for all Guyanese.
