JUST one month after being transferred from the Education Ministry to the Ministry of Public Service, Dr. Roopnaraine has tendered his resignation from that post.

This was confirmed by the Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA) – the party which Dr. Roopnaraine represents in the coalition government. The WPA executive submitted his resignation letter to President David Granger on Sunday. When questioned about the matter on Wednesday, the President confirmed that he was in receipt of a letter from Dr. Roopnaraine but that he was not in a position to disclose its contents.
“I received a letter from Dr. Roopnaraine, the contents of which I will not disclose. But he cannot resign until I have accepted his resignation. And, as far as I’m concerned I have not done so,” President Granger told reporters.

Asked if he would be accepting the resignation letter, the President offered that: “I have to meet with Dr. Roopnaraine to discuss certain matters with him and when those discussions have ended, if he wishes to speak with the media, he [can] speak with the media. But right now Dr. Roopnaraine remains a member of the Cabinet.”
Meanwhile, the WPA said that Dr. Roopnaraine consulted with the party before tendering his resignation on Sunday, and that the party “fully supports” the decision.
“Dr. Roopnaraine consulted with the WPA prior to him submitting his resignation letter and he gave us his reasons and we are in full agreement. The decision is his and we fully support him,” WPA executive member, Dr David Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle, on behalf of the party.
When asked what the reasons cited by Dr. Roopnaraine were, Dr. Hinds declined to answer. He said that it would be premature for him to make a pronouncement on it, given the fact that President Granger is expected to meet with Dr. Roopnaraine to discuss the matter.

Based on an agreement between the six parties which form the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), each party is entitled to a ministerial post. Those parties are: the Guyana Action Party (GAP), the Justice for All Party (JFAP), the National Front Alliance (NFA), the National Democratic Front (NDF), the Peoples’ National Congress (PNC), and the Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA).
Should Dr. Roopnaraine be relieved of his duties, it means that he would have to be replaced by another WPA member whose name appeared on the National Top Up List for the 2015 general and regional elections. The only other three WPA members whose names are on the list are: Chairperson of the party, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, and executive members, Desmond Trotman and Rishi Thakur.

Asked who from the three was likely to replace Dr. Roopnaraine should the post become vacant, Dr. Hinds said that he could not say at this point in time. He offered that persons are under consideration and the party has an idea of where it wants to go.
At a WPA press conference in June, both Trotman and Thakur indicated that they were not interested in a ministerial post should one be offered. This disclosure was made subsequent to Dr. Roopnaraine being reassigned from the Education Ministry to the Department of Public Service. However, Dr. Hinds shared on Wednesday that since that press conference, there have been discussions at the executive level of the party and the positions advanced by Trotman and Thakur were reconsidered.
He maintained that the party has a sense of where it wants to go and is working towards achieving that. It has been speculated that poor health was the reason Dr. Roopnaraine was transferred from the Education Ministry. Similar sentiments have since been expressed regarding his resignation which is to be considered by the President.