WATCH IT WITH THIS RESHUFFLING THING

Toronto, June 21, 2009 -- “Reshuffle” is the buzzword on the various Internet fora, on the radio and in the streets of Grenada. Now, the Grenada Today (GT) has weighed in (in an editorial for the week ending June 19), offering advice to Prime Minister Tillman Thomas as to how he should fix his Cabinet. It is my opinion that GT's editor's rationale for reshuffling is flawed, perhaps even puerile.

Let me preface my comments by stating that Cabinet reshuffles are a normal and, dare I say - routine practice all over the world. The leader of Government might refashion his /her Cabinet in response to, or in anticipation of a particular event: The NDC administration is nearing the first anniversary of its mandate and many say this milestone is an opportune moment for the Prime Minister to assess and possibly drop or reassign some members of his Cabinet.

A performance test is a good thing, even for ministers of government. Such a test, especially if it is properly administered, will reveal which of our ministers are doing well and which ones are underachieving. Of course ministers will succeed or fail for a variety of reasons, including the quality of their individual talents and expertise. Naturally, a minister will fail in situations where he/she lacks the basic skills for the job at hand. Ministers will likely fail or underachieve in contexts where their ministerial freight is just too heavy. So the PM must take many things into consideration before he starts reshuffling his Cabinet.

In addition to the matters that I've raised above, the PM must also pay attention to the likely outcomes of a reshuffle: For instance, will a certain move inspire or demoralize? And will it enhance the work of the party and government? Will it improve or jeopardize relations between Cabinet colleagues? These are important matters; indeed, they attest to the fact that Cabinet-making or remaking is serious business and it must be looked at from all angles.

That said, let us also bear in mind the fact that the majority of the Cabinet Ministers are first timers to parliamentary politics and they have taken quite a bit of time already to learn the ropes of their respective ministries: some of these ministers would have done so without the cooperation of their Permanent Secretaries and other staff. So as Grenadians we should expect that this year would be a difficult one for the NDC administration: Any large scale or ideologically driven tinkering will likely do more harm than good.

Let me turn my attention to the realities on the ground. I begin with the Ministry of Education. Senator Franca Bernadine, for example, has been working tirelessly within the Ministry of Education for curriculum reform and development and we have so far seen significant improvement in her area of work. Now then, should we move Senator Bernadine and replace her with another Minister who may not be as informed, skilled or has the necessary passion to carry this ministry along the intended path?

The fact remains that the ministries are only now beginning to effectively collaborate on many important issues and any significant change will only retard growth and further frustrate the Grenadian populace who are already complaining about the lack of performance of this Government.

This brings me to some of the specific recommendations made by the editor of the GT, Mr. George Worme. Mr. Worme would like to see Minister Peter David moved from his current portfolios -- Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Civil Aviation -- to Legal Affairs, Labour and Co-operatives. Mr. Worme gives no justification for such a recommendation. Shall we hazard a guess or two? We certainly can, but maybe this ought to be left for another day, especially as this writer’s intervention is aimed primarily at enhancing gain and minimizing pain.

Minister David has come in for lots of rebuke and much of it seems to be politically and ideologically motivated.  Moreover, I am deeply concerned about what appears to be a  particular emphasis on the “reshuffle” of  Peter David.  In other words, it seems like many, including some members of the Grenada Hotel Association, are calling for a “dedicated” Minister of Tourism, and these persons seem to think that  another “dedicated” Minister will solve the problem.  I beg to disagree!  

The Tourism Industry worldwide is going through immense hardship as a result of the global economic crisis.  Increase marketing wouldn't necessarily fix this.  Grenada, St. Vincent and even St. Lucia will suffer more because we are further south and airline tickets cost substantially more.  How can such islands compete with countries like Cuba, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic that offer all inclusive packages for Approx. US$600?  So as a Tourist, if  you can get an airline ticket and accommodation for US$600 – tell me who wouldn't take it?  People are cash-strapped and look for cheap vacation packages where ever they can find them.  It would be far-fetched to believe that, under these circumstances, you can get an airline ticket from North America to Grenada for under US$600, much less an entire package.  

As we can see our tourism problem is bigger than a Minister.    Our Tourism problem is not an NDC or an NNP problem.  Our tourism problem is that we as a country have dealt with tourism in isolation of Agriculture, Community Development, Sports, Health, Education etc.  Tourism is inextricably bound to other areas of national development and let's not forget this.  If my recollection is accurate, this Government did not increase the funds for tourism in the last national budget and so the Government should not expect any increased outcome from tourism either.  The hotels should use this opportunity to develop an internal industry by finding creative ways to attract locals to their facilities, not simply as overnight visitors but in other entertainment activities.  We have to recognize that solutions are not always found by merely looking externally, but rather internally also.
 

While we anticipate a reshuffle, if the Prime Minister so decides, I hope that this NDC Administration will look critically at the political implications of reshuffling certain Ministers.  I hope that the Government will evaluate the effectiveness and performance of some of their staff members.  I hope that they will recognize that they  HAVE to start employing the most qualified and experienced people for certain positions.  I hope that they will re-evaluate their public relations machinery. I hope they realize that there needs to be a clear vision of this Government that has not yet been articulated to the Grenadian people.  Reshuffling means changing -- hopefully change for the better.  Let us not simply reshuffle the Cabinet but reshuffle our approach to governance.       

Sandra Pierre