Repositioning Guyana’s foreign policy for better efficiency

THE recently announced changes within the very important Ministry of Foreign Affairs has again underlined that President David Granger is not averse to making changes, wherever such changes are necessary for the better functioning of his Cabinet and government in the process.

This is perhaps, according to memory, the most comprehensive change in such a vital ministry to be undertaken by any incumbent government in its constitutional life in Guyana.
As is known, ambassadors, as is the custom, are usually given a three to five-year sojourn at a particular posting, after which they are recalled for evaluation.

If found to be satisfying in terms of performance, they may be reassigned in similar capacity, or given a similar status appointment within the said ministry or elsewhere in the State. One will not expect a high State plenipotentiary to be posted to another location, if he/she is found to have underperformed, or not at all. Of course, this is from a layman’s empirical point of view.

Such a ministry is dynamic, and has to be discharging its functions in accordance with such an international environment, giving watchful concern with regards to the conduct of a foreign policy that is best suited to the domestic needs of its particular country of origin. One should therefore refer to President Granger’s statement, at the time of the announcement of Guyana’s Mission Heads, that he expects the nation’s highest grade of diplomats to conduct an economic foreign policy. This can only be initiatives which must benefit Guyana. This is the axiom of every nation’s foreign policy.

Though the announcement of the recall of some Mission Heads may be open to speculation, it is quite clear that the Coalition administration is not prepared to have such category of diplomats posted to a particular jurisdiction for two decades and more, as were the many instances during the former PPP/C regime. As far as is known, all of the top diplomats appointed by the current government have been at their current locations since 2015. We stand corrected by stating that there is only one ambassador who is in the very senior years category of almost 20 years or over, who had been retained from the former PPP/C incumbency currently.

Such prolonged overseas postings, which took place from 1992 to 2015, would have resulted in serious stagnation/stultification of many well-deserving and talented career diplomats personnel, some of whom, out of frustration, would have departed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

No country’s diplomatic corps is expected to grow and wax in stature in such a suppressed state of affairs, as had been the experience during those unfortunate years. Such a ministry expands best in its diplomatic capabilities by exposing capable and competent staff to overseas experiences in different milieus, on a succession bases, while affording further professional in-house training for more junior levels who hope to aspire to higher levels of the ministry. No doubt that there was also hint of sending quality staff to foreign locations on merit, thus ending supersession.

What must also be recognised and appreciated is that there are new academic talents that have been headed in the direction of this key ministry, possessing such skills in climate change, environmental law, environmental economics, and environmental diplomacy; multi-lingual specialists, which every such ministry must always have; petrochemical law, and the vital quantum of energy, which, more than ever, such a ministry would need, given Guyana’s changed status as an imminent oil and gas producer.

One should therefore see the impending changes as re-positioning Guyana’s foreign policy, not only to be able to cope with the unending attention which Guyana has already begun to receive, due to its evolving economic status, but also to bring its best talent for ensuring that the nation’s best interests are served.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.