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In a move that has drawn both cheers and skepticism, President Irfaan Ali this morning summoned ministers, permanent secretaries, technical staff, and contractors for a public chastisement over delays in government projects. While some saw it as a rare show of accountability, others viewed it as a thinly veiled performance—a spectacle that underscores systemic issues rather than addressing them.
When the head of state resorts to berating his entire team in a public display, it signals a deeper failure within the administration. Micromanagement of this scale points not to leadership strength but to its absence. Effective leaders delegate authority and build teams capable of meeting their objectives without constant oversight. For President Ali, the need for such a show reveals that systems are failing and that the people placed in crucial roles may not have been the right fit in the first place.
A long-time commentator observed, “The President calling a meeting like this is not a solution; it’s a distraction. If the systems and personnel were effective, there would be no need for a meeting of this nature. What we saw was theater, not governance.”
Theatrics, however, cannot mask the underlying dysfunction. The President’s allies and appointees, many of whom are friends or political cronies, have filled key positions across ministries. The recent meeting was a public embarrassment for ministers like Priya Manickchand, Sonia Parag, and Charles Ramson, each of whom appeared caught off-guard, unprepared, and uninformed about the critical delays within their departments. This display humiliated leaders who, by all appearances, are struggling to manage portfolios effectively in an environment rife with favoritism and mismanagement.
Another social media commentatior observed that by chastising his ministers and contractors in a public setting, Ali has embraced a style that may resonate in toxic, authoritarian environments but has no place in a democracy where respect, transparency, and accountability should be pillars of governance.
Another commentator noted, “We need proper management and a system of checks and balances so that a public ‘cuss out’ isn’t necessary. It’s sad that we’re here, wasting time while citizens are left without the essential services they need.”
To many Guyanese, the 5:30am spectacle highlighted a dangerous precedent, leadership by public humiliation, an approach more befitting an authoritarian regime than a democracy. Instead of genuine accountability, we saw a toxic display, a temporary distraction from the root issues that remain unaddressed. A leader who needs to routinely reprimand his team so publicly may be unable or unwilling to build the systems and trust required for real progress.
Ali’s “management by fire” may appease those frustrated by slow progress, but it is a facade. True leadership requires systems that work, managers empowered to manage, and a commitment to serving the public without the need for grandiose displays. Until these structures are in place, the citizens of Guyana may continue to suffer the consequences of a government more interested in optics than outcomes.
