MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE?
Wendy Grenade

On the surface, the recent Cabinet reshuffle in Grenada may appear straightforward but closer examination suggests that there is more than meets the eye. The reshuffle has to be understood within the context of several interrelated challenges which the new NDC government faces.

The one-year old Tillman Thomas administration has to govern the country in a period of transition after thirteen years of NNP rule. The NDC government also has to balance long-term development goals, in the midst of a global financial and economic crisis and short-term expectations of Grenadians.  The Prime Minister also has to ensure party cohesion within his team. It is against this background that the recent Cabinet reshuffle assumes significance.

Cabinet reshuffles are generally motivated by two things: the need to reposition the team to enable it to function more effectively; and internal party dynamics. I do not doubt that the Prime Minister’s intention is to ensure he maximises the talents of the team but there are some aspects of the reshuffle which more than meet the eye.

Prime Minister Thomas has de-linked culture from the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Sports and has added it to his already heavy workload. As part of this move he has also shifted Senator Arley Gill to the Prime Minister’s Ministry as Minister of State for Information, Information Technology and Culture.  

There could be several explanations for this. Perhaps there is need to redefine and elevate the role of culture, hence its location in the Prime Minister’s Ministry. Or, the move may not have been about culture per se, but the Prime Minister may have been dissatisfied with the former arrangement and needed to move Senator Gill from within the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture. As we say in our local parlance, ‘there is more in the mortar than the pestle’.

Minister Peter David was relieved of responsibility for the Ministry of Tourism and is now Minister for Foreign Affairs solely. Given the general perception that Foreign Affairs is an ‘important’ ministry, it may have been viewed as a demotion in some circles had Minister David been removed from that position. Such a move would have signalled a measure of unease within the NDC camp, which the Prime Minister cannot afford at this time.

Nonetheless, given the complexities of the global system there is need for a Foreign Minister who can focus his/her energies to advance Grenada’s foreign policy agenda. Modern diplomacy has become more difficult and diverse. There are new actors and new, complex, cross-cutting issues. Without the responsibility of tourism, Minister David has an opportunity to concentrate on redefining the relevance of Foreign Affairs and shaping a pragmatic diplomacy. His challenge is to effectively lead a team which can maximise Grenada’s relations with the rest of the world in order to bring greater benefits to the lives of Grenadian people.
 
The Ministry of Tourism was entrusted to Minister Glynis Roberts. It is logical to argue that given the current global crisis and its impact on the global tourism industry, it is necessary to have a minister with full responsibility for tourism who can dedicate time and effort to manage the needs of the sector at this critical time. Minister Roberts will have to hit the ground running.  

This is an opportunity for her to spearhead a national effort to re-think the role of tourism and its linkages with other key sectors in the economy. It is also imperative for her to lead a team that can continue to fashion a unique Grenadian brand and seek traditional and new avenues to promote sustainable tourism. Minister Roberts’ success will depend to a large extent on her ability to positively engage the various stakeholders in the industry.  

It is no surprise to many observers that Senator Ann Peters was elevated from junior minister to Minister for Health. Given her knowledge of and passion for the health sector, she has the opportunity to bring together her experiences as an activist and practitioner to make a meaningful impact on Grenada’s health sector. This move also enables former Health Minister Karl Hood to draw on his experience as a former pastor to make positive inroads in the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs.

On a related note, three junior ministers were elevated to full ministerial positions. Minister Michael Church is now the Minister for the Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development.  Social Development is now entrusted to Minister Sylvester Quarless and, as mentioned, Senator Ann Peters now has responsibility for Health.

It is necessary to point out that MP’s are elected to represent the people in Parliament and every MP does not necessarily have to be a member of the Executive branch, “managing” a Ministry.  Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong in designating some MP’s as ministers without portfolio. Again, there is no doubt that the Prime Minister’s intention is to maximise talents to ensure the team functions more effectively.

Yet, in my view, these shifts were not based solely on the need to reposition members of the team or reward good performance. The Prime Minister would have had to weigh the political costs of the moves and the implications for party cohesion in the NDC. In my view, it may have been easier for the Prime Minister had he made some hard decisions from the onset and not try to include every MP  in what is clearly an oversized Cabinet.

With a repositioned team, the challenge for the NDC administration is to simultaneously move beyond a transition phase, pursue a long-term developmental agenda and deliver tangible benefits to Grenadians in the short-term. If the administration can successfully accomplish this, next year Scholar should not be able to sing, “Ah cannot defend yuh.”

Wendy Grenade is a Grenadian-born Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.