No guarantee Cabinet will remain unchanged once reelected

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, says there is no guarantee that the current Cabinet will remain unchanged once the governing PPP/C is reelected to government.

He was at the time responding to a question posed by a reporter during his weekly press briefing at Freedom House on Thursday afternoon.

The Vice President addressed key issues surrounding Cabinet selection and government efficiency, emphasising a results-driven approach for the upcoming term.

“You have to look at performance, in my view—performance, suitability, skill, people skills. A whole range of factors go into this. Having been there, I’ve chosen the Cabinet several times myself, so these are important metrics that you use. And I expect that they will also be used in selecting the Cabinet in the next term,” Dr Jagdeo said.

He explained, however, that when it comes to government efficiency, that does not necessarily mean the creation of new ministries.

“A lot could result in that, but it’s not our intention to grow the number of ministries. It’s about ensuring that work is done more effectively, in a different way, so that we can better serve the citizens of the country,” he related.

The General Secretary added that this may necessitate some reorganisation, while clarifying that it may not mean just physical reorganisation, but also reorganisation of workloads.

“And the tools we use to deliver that efficiency will vastly change. So those are the key things we’re looking at,” he posited.

Asked whether there is a particular ministry he is dissatisfied with, he said it is not just about a particular ministry, since there has been overall progress.

“I think we’ve made progress in every single sector…. We’re constantly looking to see how we can do what we’re doing better in government,” he said.

Dr Jagdeo also cited possible changes in law enforcement to ensure efficiency and quality service delivery to the people of Guyana.