‘We have done much with what we were given’

…AFC says in defending poor ministerial performance in coalition Govt

After facing heavy criticism for its submissive position towards the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the Alliance For Change (AFC) said that it remained a strong member of the coalition Government and would continue to work to ensure that its views were taken on board.
Trotman also defended the poor performance of AFC Ministers within the coalition Government, asserting that while the party was “not perfect”, it has utilised its 12 seats in Parliament to make a significant impact and continues to do so on a daily basis. “I just mentioned an array of Ministries that the AFC has been blessed with having oversight of…Public Telecommunications – I am in awe at what the Minister (Cathy Hughes) has done. I’m in awe of the work (Agriculture Minister Noel) Holder has done against the odds at GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) and with rice…Ministry of Business is doing things, (Public Infrastructure) Minister (David) Patterson I mean nobody could say that he has not performed,” he told the media.

However, despite this praise, the performance of most of the AFC Ministers has been generally poor according to critics and independent analysts.
Under David Patterson’s leadership, the Public Infrastructure Ministry has seen a slow implementation rate of its projects with the expenditure of millions of dollars without key checks and balances being followed, especially in relation to the questionable D’Urban Park Project.
While one of the largest prison riots and fires occurred under Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s watch, along with other major scandals. And as stated by the parliamentary opposition most recently, while there has been a decline in some serious crimes, overall crime continues to rise.
Critics have also highlighted that Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has not managed to attract any sizeable Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Guyana since assuming the post. While his Ministry has been pushing for the creation of cottage industries, there have been no business projects launched under the current Government that would help to create employment opportunities.
Further, as it relates to Holder, the current Agriculture Minister, several critics have called for his resignation in light of his handling of the downsizing of the sugar industry. Holder was the first to announce plans by the coalition Government to close down sugar estates and fire sugar workers.
In Holder’s defence, Trotman said, “We are not saying that we are perfect. We are far from being perfect. But we could say with what we have been given, we have done much. And, of course, there is room for improvement and we will work towards improving ourselves.”
Aside from that, the AFC leader admitted that his party has lost touch with the common issues, becoming too involved in governmental matters and hence a little side-tracked from their duties.
“In terms of self-analysis, or maybe some self-criticism, we’ve become bogged down with governmental matters and fighting to just get our agendas through…and we have lost touch a bit with the common issues, but no one could say that we haven’t pushed the IT agenda, telecommunications agenda, or business agenda or resources or infrastructure or agriculture or Indigenous affairs,” Trotman said.
The fact that the AFC has not been able to successfully push for constitutional reform, a platform on which the party campaigned, some pundits believe, has seriously damaged its credibility and influence within the coalition. Critics said also that the party’s lack of understanding of its support base would ultimately be its downfall and the only way to maintain its credibility would be to resign.