The Guyana Standard was able to confirm moments ago with reliable sources within the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), that Dr. Karen Cummings is no longer Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The sources explained that she was “given marching orders” just a few days after she had approached the Guyana Elections Commission’s Command Centre and approached several international observers, threatening to revoke their accreditation. The observers, during that time, had expressed serious concerns regarding the need for due process to be followed in the tabulation of the votes cast in the General and Regional Elections. Upon noting her comments, Dr. Cummings was sternly rejected and asked to leave the premises. The official had claimed that she received instructions to pass on that message but was not in agreement with same. That issue had occurred on March 5, last.
The Guyana Standard made efforts to contact Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon on this matter but those efforts proved futile.
When contacted for a comment, Dr. Cummings said she would not be taking any questions at this time as she is about to start her sabbath and “take some time for relaxation.”
Sources were also perplexed as to why she was commenting on the status of her colleague Carl Greenidge and his duties as Foreign Secretary while neglecting to come clean on her own position.
One source commented, “I believe what is important is not only that she is reporting incompletely on what has already been reported (that is, Greenidge’s job as Foreign Secretary being in limbo) and for which she has no responsibility, but she neglects to say anything about her own position as well as answering whether she was removed for incompetence or for dishonestly blaming superiors.”
The source also said that Dr. Cummings was behind the firing of seven of Guyana’s most senior Ambassadors at a time when they could not be replaced by officials of comparable experience.
Further to this, the source sought to remind that the former Minister even made efforts to remove Audrey Jardine-Waddell from the post of Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last December after she resisted Dr. Cummings’ embrace of the G77 + China chair at an inappropriate time. Venezuela had proposed Guyana’s assumption of the chairmanship be conditional. It was proposed that Guyana not use the position to auger support for its territorial case against the Spanish speaking country. The government had said that Guyana rejected the condition but still assumed the post.
