THIS week, I want to start on a positive note, one that is going to be in contrast with my pointedly pessimistic column of last week, as well as the rest of this column itself.  For the first time since the elections, I am optimistic that eventually – the occasional current flare-up notwithstanding – the parliamentary parties are going to find some sort of consensus in moving ahead with the business of running the country.
I think the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, Gail Teixeira and others deserve both acknowledgment and applause for the work they have been doing, particularly with regard to putting merchanisms in place for familiarising new parliamentarians with their duties. In terms of cooperation, I think that what is sorely needed is a working environment that is designed to engender trust amongst our legislators.  We can, for example, establish a protocol for ministers to engage their Shadow colleagues in the opposition, placing less pressure on the parliamentary subcommittees; yes, but also creating the sort of inclusivity that was promised by all parties, without exception, during the elections.
Now to deal with the actual subject of this week’s column – sometime last year, I took the decision to write publicly about a particularly nasty, clandestine e-mail campaign aimed at tarnishing my reputation, albeit via a secretive, cowardly modus operandi.  Recently, in addition to the already strenuous pressures of illness and a packed working schedule, I’ve discovered that the insanity has started again.
While I refuse to give the people behind this the satisfaction of going into detail as to the content of their ‘campaign’, I will say that – as I had suspected before – it appears to be coming from persons who somehow feel threatened by my public service portfolios.
As I’ve written previously, I can say without fear of contradiction that I have never once presented myself to be considered for any public post I currently hold, whether remunerated or unremunerated – I was asked by the former President, with whom I’ve had a professional relationship going back almost two decades, to serve in several capacities and I agreed.  If there is merit-worthy criticism to be made of my performance in those roles, then anyone is free to make them; while I reserve the right to correct any misperception, whether privately or in the public domain, I have never seen myself as above constructive criticism.
I can safely say that I have carried out every public service responsibility placed upon me to the best of my ability, and often – I am admittedly a little ashamed to admit – at the expense of my personal life.  And while I’ve lent my professional expertise to whatever of those responsibilities I’ve had to shoulder, I also took away key lessons from those experiences, many of which I’ve used this column to explore.
Specifically because my portfolio has stretched across multiple sectors, I’ve discovered that – and written about – that there is the need for a more holistic and integrated approach to several areas of managing the operations of government.
For example, I’ve touched upon the need for there to be a central database, with a multi-tiered access protocol, containing digitized copies of all consultants’ reports produced here as far back as possible, but most critically over the past 10 years.   I recently saw this newspaper cartoon with one man with a stack of documents being asked by another where he was going with them.  The first man replies and says that he has been ordered to take them to the basement to be shredded so that no trace of them can ever be found – the second man says, “Well in that case, just take them to be filed.”  We’ve spent, according to my fairly well-informed estimate, somewhere in the vicinity of US $15 million in foreign consultant reports over the last decade, many of which end up being ‘filed’ away until they become obsolete and/or are duplicated by yet another report; a central database would ensure that we get proper value for money when it comes to these reports.
I’ve written at least one three-part series on public-private partnerships, a method of providing services that I believe affords the best option, in many cases, for the people for whom those services are intended, or at the very least, where applicable, ensuring that taxpayers receive the best value for money.  I can cite America’s NASA as an example of the evolution of a good private-public partnership – decades ago, outer space was exclusively the territory of governments, particularly the competing ideological world powers at the time.  Today, government inputs have been scaled back and billionaire investors, like Richard Branson, are working with the U.S. government to create a competitive and increasingly commercially viable (granted for millionaires) aerospace industry.
Another area I’ve been passionate about, and one related to the first, is engaging  our Diaspora in our development in as comprehensive  a manner as possible, from structured programmes for involvement (whether repatriation or volunteering) to a diaspora skills database.  I’ve written, again largely because of my involvement in various public entities, about the need to establish a sophisticated multisectoral negotiation mechanism to engage with donors, allowing us to most strategically distribute donors across sectors.
I’ve written about the need for a one-stop shop for government services for the elderly in our society.  I’ve put forward this column in the same spirit that I’ve accepted the positions I’ve been offered without solicitation – because I believe that I have something to contribute to the development of my country.
To those behind the periodic campaigns, who obviously feel that I am in competition with them for power or prestige, let me provide some solace – after discussion with my family, I’ve decided to scale back and eventually terminate completely my engagement in the public service in Guyana; this news might save you the effort of concocting and disseminating more slanderous e-mails.  To the readers who’ve followed this column, I intend in the upcoming weeks – before I stop publishing it completely – to put forward a few more ideas into the public domain; for example, a mechanism to track the implementation of the government’s programme as set out in the ruling party’s manifesto.  I also intend to revisit some of the topics I’ve explored in the past and which I believe warrant a bit more consideration, particularly but not limited to those above – while I may very likely not be part of the team that implements these ideas, I believe offering them up is a critical step in the process.  Until then, have a good week.