PPP/C gov’t should not be hiring foreign lobbyists to do its work

Dear Editor,

The PPP/C government has now hired a lobbying firm or firms, as stated in the media, the role of which is to: ‘inform key members of the U.S. Congress, especially those with interest or responsibility for Western Hemispheric affairs, trade, and economic development, about the importance of increasing US cooperation with the Guyanese Government and thus contribute to democracy, stability and prosperity in the region’.

The firm(s) also intend to engage the Washingtonbased public policy community, such as ‘Think Tanks’, non-governmental organisations and sections of the media to cover the importance of Guyana to democracy and stability in the region. Now Editor, I would like to clearly state that I strongly oppose the government hiring lobbyists to do its foreign policy, foreign relations, and communications.

I remember hearing talk even from the APNU+AFC that they should have hired lobbyists earlier, I disagreed with this notion then and I disagree with it now. As a strategist and communications expert, I support recruiting a lobby firm, perhaps as a part of an elections campaign to project the image of a political party as the winning choice in an election but not under these circumstances.

Is the government planning to fire the Prime Minister and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Communications? Since what these lobbyists will be doing, is exactly what the Prime Minister and Minister of Communications, both of whom have responsibility for government communications and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose ministry has responsibility for foreign relations should be doing. What the Government ought to be doing is strengthening the internal capacity of the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Communications and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is a more sustainable approach to our development.

I would like to assume that the U.S. Lawmakers are already aware of the importance of Guyana to democracy and stability in the region as the only English-speaking country on the South American mainland and now an oil producing and exporting country. That is what our Embassy in Washington DC is there to do. Let us strengthen our foreign relations with the United Nations, Organisation of American States, CARCOM, and other international and regional organizations, as well as our bilateral relations with other countries.

It is ironic that the same day when this news story was published, I saw on in the media, residents on the East Coast of Demerara, complaining about issues in the process of the distribution of the $25,000 cash support for COVID-19. Additionally, the government is apparently giving everybody $25,000, the only difference is that while the Guyanese citizens are getting $25,000 Guyana dollars, others are getting US$25,000 to do the government’s and public servants’ work.

This PPP/C government has really become a business entity. It has departed far from Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s vision for the party, as a working-class political representative body, into an elite business entity which is more ‘Jagdeoism’. This economy will grow by 26% in 2021, and the government is still in a poverty reduction mode, it has not shifted its approach to governance focusing on wealth management, neither does it have a plan for reorienting the Guyanese population and institutions, to do wealth management; our youths are still being charged for stealing mobile phones.

While I understand the issues that the government is trying to address, I totally disagree that the best approach is to hire lobbyists. I believe that this is reducing the significance of Guyana’s foreign relations and a slap in the faces of the individuals and agencies with responsibility for these aspects of government and the people’s business.

A more accepted approach would be to explore with the U.S., UK, Canada, EU, United Nations, for high level experts and advisors, to provide support for an institutional strengthening programme. The United States Embassy in Guyana, as well as the Guyana Embassy in Washington DC, are conduits for the same kind of engagements the lobbyists intend to do.

The government has citizens with PhD’s, Masters and bachelors degrees, as well as those who are committed and hardworking, with a wealth of experience and expertise but were dismissed over the past months, utilize these people, and pay them that five million per month.

As in the case of the APNU+AFC and the PPP/C, if both governments had really governed to the satisfaction of the Guyanese people, the need for lobbyists would have been reduced.

The government’s approach to hiring the lobbying firm is symptomatic of how our leaders approach problemsolving. We have a road safety problem, and the solution is to place speed humps at almost every corner, while the real problem is behavioural and attitudinal. Georgetown floods when it rains largely due to lack of maintenance of the drainage systems, and we talk of moving the city. I do agree that we need more cities but our flooding problem in Georgetown is also a maintenance problem.

Finally, I am confident that the U.S. lawmakers are much more interested in the government being more inclusive, respecting the rule of law, cleaning up its act on corruption, reducing inequalities and creating opportunities for all Guyanese.

Yours faithfully,

Audreyanna Thomas