Chandisingh, Burnham, Harewood-Benn demoted in New Year Shake-up

ACCORDING to opposition elements, President Desmond Hoyte’s New Year reshuffle of his Ministers and other government officials is of minor significance and without any immediate impact on the national situation.

International Secretary of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Mr. Clement Rohee said, “we consider the reshuffle to be traditional and merely cosmetic.”

“We don’t see how this would be able to bring any kind of fundamental turnaround, not only in terms of the economy but also in terms of the social conditions,” Rohee said, reacting to Mr. Hoyte’s reshuffle.

Rohee said there seemed “to be some element of demotion of some who represent Bumhamite sentiments in the People’s National Congress (PNC), or who are associated with the image of Burnham.”

Other observers, however, questioned the PPP assessment and saw the reshuffle as evidence of a desire by the President to weaken elements who might be opposed to his general policy of liberalisation and increased private investment.

Among those apparently demoted is Vice-President Mr. Ranji Chandisingh who formerly headed the now disbanded National Mobilisation Ministry.

Another casualty seems to be VicePresident Mrs. Viola Burnham who relinquishes responsibility for Education to new Education Minister Mr. Deryck Bernard.

Mrs. Burnham will now be styled VicePresident, Culture, and Social Development while Chandisingh has been reassigned to the Office of the President.

Another victim in the New Year shakeup is former Information and Public Service Minister, Ms. Yvonne HarewoodBenn, who has been “reassigned Senior Minister in the Office of the President” with special responsibility for public interest and other matters, the Information Ministry said.

Forestry Minister, Mr. Dharamdeo Sawh has lost his portfolio with the scrapping of the ministry and has been reassigned as a Minister within the Public Utilities Ministry.

Those continuing on the rise include Dr. Faith Harding, who is now a full Minister taking over responsibility for the Public Service Ministry, and Ms. Stella Odie-Ali who has also been promoted to the rank of a Minister with responsibility for Home Affairs.

Mr. Gowkarran Sharma moves up as a Minister taking over the Labour and Cooperatives portfolio from Mr Seeram Prashad who switches as a Senior Minister in the Planning and Development Ministry.

Rohee argued that the “shunting around” of the posts “would not in any way help to better the situation and would in no way deal with the top-heavy bureaucracy in government.”

On the dismantling of the National Mobilisation Ministry, Rohee said that his party, and other opposition parties have always been “calling for the scrapping of the ministry.

“This was long overdue and what we would like to know is how have they taken care of the workers affected by the moves,” Rohee said.