Nagamootoo gets only information portfolio
June 17, 2015 By
Cummingsburg Accord violations
…returns to where he was in 1992 with PPP/C
Promised a range of high-profile cabinet responsibilities as per the Cummingsburg Accord between the APNU/AFC, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has only been handed the portfolio of information now that the dust has been settled on the division of responsibilities following the coalition’s victory at the May 11 polls.
According to his gazetted appointment Nagamootoo as Minister of Information will oversee the Government Information Agency; National Communicat
Prime Minister
Moses Nagamootoo
ions Network, Guyana Chronicle, National Frequency Management Unit and the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority. This is the identically portfolio he was handed in1992 when as a member of the PPP/C government that was just installed.
However, he was promised under the Cummingsburg Accord responsibilities for domestic national affairs and chairing the cabinet; recommending ministerial appointments and providing the organisational structures of ministries for the appointment of the president.” None of these is listed in Nagamootoo’s gazetted appointment. Only last former Foreign Affairs Minister and political commentator, Dr Henry Jeffrey and social activist Ramon Gaskin called on the new Government to offer an explanation to the Guyanese people on the breaches of the Accord. Dr Jeffrey, in an invited comment related that despite the fact that the Prime Minister has indicated that he was not bothered by the deviation, the fact of the matter was that there were changes from the agreement which was penned by the two parties. He explained that the AFC must now go to the people and explain why it is that there is a deviation.
The political commentator further pointed out that while the Constitution requires that the President chair Cabinet, the Accord had stated that such a task will be delegated to the Prime Minister and as such, the legal minds in the coalition should have known that this could not be. “They should have known this before. They cannot say they did not know this before,” Jeffrey intoned. According to Jeffrey, a deviation is a violation of the agreement and as such, there is now a need for the parties to sit down and explain to the Guyanese society why it is so since Guyanese would have judged them and voted for the coalition based on what the document was premised.
“People voted for them based on the agreement so they really need to explain that. Also, from my point of view, I understand that conditions can change, but they cannot unilaterally change. We need to have an explanation,” he opined.
President David Granger for his part when asked to comment on the deviation expressed that the coalition was presently working on a review of the document. He admitted that to effectuate some of the stipulations of the Accord will be unconstitutional and as such, he will be awaiting the constitutional reform so that the agreement can be followed. “To the extent that some things are in collision with the Constitution they will await constitutional change…we cannot be expected to do unconstitutional things,” Granger told reporters. However at the time the Cummingsburg Accord had been announced Mr Granger had confirmed he would follow the agreement while AFC leader boasted that he was a tough negotiator.
Nagamootoo has now nonchalantly said he was not bothered or in any way affected by President Granger reneging on the agreement and chairing the proceedings of the Cabinet. Nagamootoo had further put a bold face on and stated that the Accord was not worth more than the country and, as such, those were minor things. “We have an active President and we have to make this Accord work; make this coalition work; and for me the things that are minor irritancies I won’t elevate to any importance,” he had said.
President David Granger
