August 22,2016 Source

The David Granger administration is “talking the talk” but it remains to be seen whether it is “walking the walk,” according to a USAID-funded report which says the executive has done enough to suggest that it lacks the political acumen needed to address some issues including tackling corruption and pursuing politically meaningful reforms.

The report, ‘Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Assessment of Guyana’, was commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assess the political change and democratization in Guyana, consider the US Government’s operational and programmatic environment, and develop strategic and programmatic recommendations to address the core DRG problem(s) identified in the assessment. The final report was released in March and released publicly last week.

According to the report, strategically, the executive has been pursuing the interests it stated in its electoral platform namely unity, reform, inclusion, and good governance.

However, it says, as a general matter, the executive struggles ‒ in the eyes of interlocutors – to gain the confidence of all ethnic groupings at the same time; pursue politically meaningful reforms, including the electoral system, political party, and campaign financing reforms; and achieve political unity on crucial policy issues, such as how to save the sugar industry.

The executive also struggles to restrain the abuse of state resources for partisan ends; manage corruption; and contain the size of government, and constrain the habit of inserting party loyalists within made-up positions or by bypassing due processes, the report said.

“Already, the new executive has done enough to suggest that it lacks the political acumen needed to address the above-listed struggles. The most dramatic illustration of this deficit has been the decision to raise the salaries of ministers and MPs, a decision that evoked the widest of condemnations—most vocally from APNU+AFC supporters,” it pointed out.

Last year, the Granger administration hiked salaries for ministers and Members of Parliament drawing an outcry from citizens. The president along with members of his cabinet including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo have defended the pay hikes, which go as high as 50% for those in cabinet, calling the move an investment in quality governance.

The administration came under scathing criticism from a wide-cross section of Guyanese but it has stood firm on the issue. Protest actions were mounted against the increases, particularly since the coalition had promised “significant increases” for public servants during its election campaign, but only delivered a 5% increase in its first national budget. However, the administration has not budged.

Meantime, the USAID report said that positively, and across most stakeholders, the current executive was complimented for “talking the talk.”

When it comes to democracy, human rights, and governance, the executive has been credentialling itself as a champion, intent on reforming government and upgrading governmental performance, it said. The report noted that to this end, the executive has invited partnerships—including with USAID—to give effect to the reform agenda.

“It was considered still too early to assess whether the executive is actually “walking the walk.” Events occurring during the writing of this report suggest that the executive has been sufficiently reminded of its political vulnerability,” the report said. In this regard, it cited the decision to table in the National Assembly the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Guyana Sugar Corporation, along with the postponement of police promotions, and said that this may indicate a preferential option for more democratic governance.

“Alongside the drafting of a ministerial Code of Conduct, which has been opened for public comment and input, there is cautious optimism that a deepening of democratic values within the executive is occurring,” the report said.

The Code of Conduct is still to be formalised.

The report had noted that President Granger and the coalition government enjoyed a honeymoon period that is now largely over. It had said that there are indications of significant change in tackling challenges to democratic governance in Guyana by the APNU+AFC government, but there are also reasons for concern, and has warned that time is of the essence and urged constitutional reform.