Government’s planned establishment of a Department of Energy has to do with political manoeuvring and direct oversight by the President than with any indictment of the performance of Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, Working People’s Alliance executive Dr David Hinds says.
The Arizona State University Professor posits that the decision was taken so that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) faction of the governing APNU+AFC coalition could assert itself in one of the most influential sectors of the country.
“I read it as a political move aimed at decreasing the influence of the AFC in government operations. If this is true, it is a fair decision—the AFC already has control of key Ministries such as Infrastructure, Public Security and Agriculture. The ultimate outcome is that the AFC would not be able to take direct credit for the benefits,” Hinds, a political scientist, told Stabroek News following the announcement.
