…despite appointment of Minister of Natural Resources
The Office of the President on Monday confirmed that President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo will oversee the critical sectors of natural resources and finance, this even after a minister of natural resources was appointed.
“In response to several queries, the media corps and, by extension, the general public, is advised that the Office of the President will have oversight for the areas of Finance and Natural Resources,” OP said in a terse statement.
Village Voice reported last week that with no Finance Minister yet appointed, President Ali said that he has responsibility for the finance sector and believes that it will be well-managed along with the skillset and experience of former President Jagdeo. Jagdeo is a former Finance Minister. “With the skillset that we have at the moment, in the Office of the President, with the former President there, we’re hoping to move quickly on a number of issues of our finances but it is an area that we’re still searching, we’re looking for a potential candidate,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of 19 Cabinet Ministers at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) last Wednesday.
The President opted not to state whether former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Minster of Finance Dr. Ashni Sing is on the radar for possible selection. This is even as rumours swirl that the post could fall in the lap of Vice President, Jagdeo. President Ali said: “I cannot confirm to you any individual because we’ve not identified an individual as yet…we’ve reached out to many individuals but no one in particular or no individual in relation to finance.”
A Finance Minister is important to Guyana at this time as the country has been without a 2020 National Budget due to the December 2018 no-confidence motion and the prolonged March 2, General and Regional Elections. This has been particularly challenging for the previous Administration affecting its efficiency in addressing the COVID-19 situation. Nonetheless, the President said that his government is assessing the state of the economy and the country’s resources as it transitions. “That assessment is ongoing. What we have found is alarming, some of these areas,” he said. On the matter of financing the health and economic impact of COVID-19, he highlighted that he has asked Minster of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony to brief him on the resources available to the country and what is still needed. The President said: “There will be a number of interventions that require financing in terms of dealing with COVID and that has to occupy one of the highest priorities for us right now.”
Meanwhile, the announcement that the Office of the President will be overseeing the Natural Resources sector would raise eyebrows as to the exact role of Vickram Bharrat who was appointed the subject minister.
