It has historically been the practice for political administrations in Guyana and their high-profile functionaries to seize the advantage deriving from the generous measure of exposure afforded them mostly by the state-owned media to proffer undertakings which, from the standpoint of image enhancement usually satisfy their immediate objectives but which, all too frequently, do not, in the longer term, ‘hold up,’ so to speak.
It is a time-worn manoeuvre that is intended to secure an immediate positive effect, ignoring altogether the longer-term impact when its assertions simply fall apart.
While there are occasions on which the consequences of what, frequently, are state-promulgated ‘information’ fall apart purely on account of their absurdity, others linger, continuing to hold out hope that the pronouncements will bear fruit. Here the point should be made that the purveyors of the promises are, it seems, altogether unmindful of what, frequently, is the manner in which the recipients of those ‘messages’ are affected.
On February 21, 2022 a Department of Public Information/Ministry of Agriculture media release asserted that government was “taking a more proactive approach to ensure farmers, agro-processors and exporters are linked to the most lucrative markets, locally, regionally and internationally.” The move, the release added, “will see the New Guyana Marketing Corpora-tion (GMC) developing strategies through extensive market research this year, (2022), to promote Guyana’s agricultural products here, across the region and internationally.” Here it is hardly unreasonable to inquire of the Minister of Agriculture whether the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) had ever gotten around to “developing strategies through extensive market research (this year, 2022) to promote Guyana’s agricultural products here, across the region and internationally.”
There is more. The Ministry of Agriculture had also promised back in 2022 that the considerable sum of $340 million would have been allocated “to fast track the initiative through the participation of trade fairs and exhibition, and the use of e-marketing/e-commerce platforms.” It would hardly hurt if, even now, the Minister of Agriculture – who is never reluctant to give undertakings – provide an update on the aforementioned assignments and provide information as to whether local “trade fairs and exhibitions” ever benefitted from the $340 million purportedly assigned for the purpose.
The dissemination of public information on the execution of promised undertakings that have a bearing on people’s promises have, historically, been attended by undertakings that are intended to respond to public inquiries in a routine sort of manner. When political operators go into their ‘huddles’ to contemplate responses to public inquiries their line of reasoning is that people have short memories, anyway.
In the instance of the Ministry of Agriculture, it appears that ‘short memories’ also apply in the its undertaking given in 2023 that farmers across the country would have been able “to use 13 agro-processing facilities the government plans to build” last year. “All 13 facilities will be completed by the end of 2023,” is what Agriculture Minister Mustapha had told residents and farmers of Parika, East Bank Essequibo. The question that the Minister of Agriculture must now answer, categorically, is whether his “end of 2023” undertaking has been kept or whether there is some new timeline that needs to be made public.
Whether we accept it or not, the practice of official undertakings given by government on projects that are critical to both the well-being of the citizenry and the overarching development of the country are exercises in gross mismanagement and it is for the leadership of the country to make clear its intolerance of this practice and where necessary apply sanctions against state functionaries, not least Ministers of Government who indulge in this callous practice. All the people who depend on these projects do so to bring betterment to their lives.
