APRIL 17, 2016 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS
The recent controversies in which Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has been the centre of, has exposed
the weaknesses of the marital contract of the coalition administration, says Dr. David Hinds, Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA).
Dr. Hinds noted that the Cummingsburg Accord is a blueprint for the cohesion and smooth flow of power and responsibilities that is supposed to take place in the coalition.
He said that the Cummingsburg Accord essentially addresses the allocation of the spoils of office, but it does not address the “nitty gritty” of exercising power.
In this regard, the WPA Member said, “I am sure the Alliance For Change (AFC) is finding this out the hard way.”
Dr. Hinds recalled that earlier this week, the AFC explained that its leaders recently attended a leadership retreat as part of an ongoing effort to review the party’s performance and to discuss a number of issues of concern to the party.
Among the matters discussed at the retreat was the issue of the appointment of businessman, Brian Tiwarie, as Ministerial Advisor on Business Development by the Minister of State in addition to other revelations in the public domain.
The Alliance for Change said that these issues are as a result of powers of various posts being held by one person.
It is upon this background that they called for separate appointments to facilitate the smooth flow of Government’s business.
It appears, however, that the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is not in agreement with this suggestion. In fact, some members posit that the problem is not the powers vested in Harmon.
They believe that the real issue is the authority vested in the tiers of the Executive branch and the fact that its current state is what led to the recent collisions in decisions being made.
Dr. David Hinds said, “The problem is two-fold. Executive authority is split between the Cabinet and the Executive Presidency and there is bound to be overlapping and sometimes clashes.”
The political activist added, “The issue is not Harmon’s power. It’s in the very structure of the Executive Branch in which the Presidency is somewhat autonomous. The Presidency is also powerful. In effect, there is scope for a parallel Cabinet within the Presidency.”
The WPA Executive Member said that when one is faced with a one-party government, the two parts of the executive work harmoniously. But in the case of a coalition, he said that this is not necessarily guaranteed to take place.
Dr. Hinds asserted, “I would say that in the present government, the Cabinet is the junior partner in so far as actual wielding of power is concerned. It is the Presidency that is the nerve center of the government. So splitting Harmon’s functions will not alter the situation in any meaningful way. What is needed is a change in the structure of the Executive Branch.”
The Professor of Caribbean and African Diaspora Politics said too that there is a need for a decision making forum other than the Cabinet.
He said that another problem that arises from the AFC’s statement to the media is the very fact that the AFC
had to make its position public before an internal discussion with its partners of the APNU.
He said that this suggests that there is no statutory mechanism to discuss these matters other than the Cabinet or an audience with the President. Dr. Hinds said that this is problematic.
The WPA Executive Member holds the belief that a Coalition of this nature has to operate at two levels simultaneously.
“They have to govern the country from day to day. This is where the Cabinet comes in. But they have to simultaneously work out political strategy and tactics and deal with sensitive political issues, especially the ones on which they differ.”
Dr. Hinds added, “Hence the need for a forum or council outside of Cabinet that does not necessarily have to include Cabinet Members. This should be a council of representatives of the Coalition partners.”
The University professor stated that the APNU has such a council, “but as the WPA had complained in the past, it does not meet frequently.”
Dr. Hinds said that it is imperative for the Coalition to have such a council. He said that sensitive matters involving politicians cannot be left to the Cabinet or entirely to the President.
He commented that coalitions are difficult to manage in the best of circumstances. The University professor explained that the partners have to be in permanent session, always dealing with the issues that actually divide them or have the potential to do so.