THE current imbroglio involving embattled Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, brings to the fore the dangers public and successful figures face from the disgruntled and/or criminal elements of society.

No-one with a well sense of self-preservation would choose to become a leader, unless a leader cares beyond self, or the primary intent is a self-centred one with self-aggrandisement being the prime motivator, and there is no greater example of this than our own national leaders.
The President of the country, as well as each Minister of Government and Heads of Departments all have their delineated mandate peculiar to a particular sphere of responsibility within the national construct; albeit sometimes these responsibilities overlap and bleed into each other.
Every one of these heads of entities has support staff holding varying portfolios, and it behooves every member of that support system to perform his duties with optimum effort and efficiency, because if one cog in the operational wheel leading to the delivery of service to the nation proves dysfunctional then the entire system becomes skewed and either diminishes and eradicates altogether the product – the product in this case being an item of service to the people, and it is service to the people that is the business of Governments.
In every business, the position and responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer is well-defined, and everyone knows that success or failure of the business entity lies on his shoulders. In other words, the buck stops at him, so if any cog in his support system fails then he has no recourse but to change it – fire the offender and hire a competent replacement.
The Chief Executive of Guyana does not have that luxury, and the governmental structure is overburdened with dysfunctional cogs, many of them planted by those who do not wish this administration well, so our President is aware that he has to adjust to the flaws within the wheel of governance with which he is constrained to work.
Today all the cogs of the administrative wheel are being attacked with the clear intent that the administrative structure will collapse.
No human being is without flaw, and even the successive leaders within the PPP/C have made mistakes, as have other heads within the governmental equation; but, by and large, the PPP/C leadership has been exemplary, so much so that Guyana was described by a regional leader as the “only shining star in the Caribbean.”
However, every initiative that this Administration drives has been subjected to negative response from the political Opposition, as well as some members of the media, which can frustrate efforts and demotivate the leaders. The debilitating effects that these unwarranted and sustained attacks could have on one’s morale also take toll on one’s physical health.
Genuine commitment to the national development paradigm should be honoured and supported instead of being subjected to such a plethora of negativity and unrestrained and continuous attacks; that is, if we are truly committed to the ideal of nation-building.
And those who revile Heads of the nation and national institutions should sit back and re-think their positions. What would they, what could they do differently, or better, in similar situations and circumstances?
This question would stymie those who continually find fault with every initiative undertaken by the Government, as in the Skeldon Sugar Estate, the Enmore packaging plant, the OLPF, the LCDS, the Amaila Falls hydro project, as well as the plethora of other developmental initiatives – the Grow More Food campaign, for instance, without taking into consideration that every project entered into by this Government is an innovation, because there is no precedence in development prior to 1992 – not on a nationalistic scale.
It is as if the malcontents of the nation would prefer to see the nation go into decline if the current administration is driving the successes, never mind the fact that everyone benefits from the outcomes of these initiatives when they eventually prove successful. But by that time the Opposition forces would have already done their mischief.
Many have preceded Anil Nandlall; and one wonders who next. When the Opposition had tabled a no-confidence motion against Minister Clement Rohee, one Opposition leader had threatened: “We will take you (Government ministers) down one by one”.
So after Nandlall who next, because that Opposition leader is vociferously calling for Nandlall’s resignation. Rohee and others have weathered the storm, and most likely Nandlall also will.

If we support our leaders, whomever they are, and strive together in unity, then all of us stand to reap the rewards – collectively, because our destiny is irrevocably interlinked, and our national glories and successes are things that we will all share in – as a Guyanese people
So until General Elections, when we can vote for the change we want, let us support our leaders of the day. Everyone in our nation will win that way.
Any other course leads to diminishing our potentials, and the defeat of our country.