OPINION: Excellency Ali’s new cabinet – some ideas

Last Updated on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, 21:45 by Writer

By GHK Lall

Speculation intensifies. Eyes are on Pres. Ali’s new cabinet. There will be changes. Some have become too heavy to carry. They are that overloaded with the inspirations of oil. The issue for me is not who stays or goes, although that could send clear signals of what is most important to the new PPP Government. What is most important could be vested in those who are most cherished. That is, they stay to make hay for the Guyanese people. In the spirit of the moment, a new start, and my own word given, I cast no condemning frown at anyone, whether staying, going, or entering the gates of Olympus. In my self-anointed (note well) role to His Excellency, I offer some simple ideas, with a few names thrown in to bolster.

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC should be identified as a man for the innermost sanctum. His record is long and persuasive when the challenge has been to be for Guyana or not for Guyana. His map does have its lines and they are neither blurred nor unknown. Such a stalwart must be recognized, rewarded. Dr. Vindya Persaud has done enough to stay in her seat. She may have crossed a line or so, but then again hers is short, even a little on the invisible side. Unlike the Bible, that which cannot be seen or heard leads to difficulty in believing. Of course, the Duchess of Demerara and Queen of PPP Parliamentary Ideas, Gail Texeira, will be there. PPP royalty is PPP royalty. Who has ever heard of royalty being disowned? Yes, I recall that English king who let his heart govern his head, only to lose his crown. Guyana is not England, so let’s get that straight. Madame Texeira is as solid as Freedom House. Archbishop Juan Edghill will be around; the optics will be untoward if he were booted. If I were him, I would consider a deed poll; it wouldn’t do to have a cabinet member with a Spanish sounding name. Look at how many problems the new opposition leader in waiting has had to endure relative to an imaginary Caracas connection. When the Venezuelan Ambassador is ordered to make a rare media appearance and set the record straight on the issue, then that says a lot. I am doing well to this point with cabinet recommendations that are more or less no brainers. The going now gets hard.

No one should read anything in me not name Dr. Ashni Singh, Mr. Vickram Bharrat, and others of such illustrious ilk in my New Year’s list to the president. Let commonsense prevail. Dr. Singh isn’t going anywhere, and Mr. Bharrat will be everywhere. Well, the life of a cabinet member has to deal with light and darkness. Like some days, the light struggles to show its face, leading many to question its existence. President Ali, however, despite an able assist from former president Jagdeo will still have his work cut out for him in selecting a cabinet. He retains some folks and he is damned. He lets go of some other folks and he hears it. I refuse to say what ‘it’ is at this time. The president himself made his work doubly harder. Recall “procurement overhaul.” While I laud that, where is the inspiration to serve going to come from, when procurement overhaul is in the cards? Public service and cabinet prestige suddenly doesn’t gleam as much as before. There is the bottom line, there are red lines, and there are lines that got obscured in the excitements of recent years.

Here is an extract from real life as elaboration. There is a true PPP luminary, who is so red that he makes Kosygin, Lenin, and Yeltsin together look pale by comparison. He is cleaner than an operating room and ICU ward combined. Guess what? His PPP comrades don’t want him on a council, a board, or anywhere that has fun written on it. Hence, I say that the president has an uphill task with this cabinet compilation business. I wouldn’t want to be in his place, because there will be a new interior minister, a new health minister, a new home affairs head, and some new junior ministers. Sports will be sports, but some logistical and supply chains could undergo severe ruptures. The latter could retard the president’s flow. He will adapt. But on this brave new day, Excellency Ali has to put on a bold face, hold out an iron fist, and do his best imitation of one of those ancient Kung Fu grand dragons. He must become a dancing master. My final recommendation is that he should consider appointing, like the Saudis, a Minister of Vice and Virtue. Think of the luster to his cabinet. That’s it from me, as I try to help Pres. Ali along the straight and narrow path. Best wishes, liege.