Stabroek News, April 16, 2008
http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p
Dear Editor,
Poor Prem Misir. The timing is not very good just now. If he knows
anything about cricket he is bound to realise that he is playing off
the back foot.
One always assumed that an academic like Dr Misir would be predisposed
to the objectivity for which his scholarship should have been
characteristic. Instead he prefers to be regarded as another political
commentator. In our besieged environment the implication of bias is
automatic.
Contrary to his uninformed view 'micro-management' is identified as a
counter-productive management style which is condemned internationally
in every respected management publication, for the obvious reason that
it undermines the authority that should complement responsibility,
pollutes and dilutes the decision-making process, and diminishes the
self-confidence of the players involved.
The letter captioned "Dr Misir's submission on marginalization was
simplistic and not impressive" (08.04.09) to which Misir has responded
in Kaieteur News April 11, and the Guyana Chronicle of April 10, would
not have been allowed, at least in the latter newspaper, exactly as a
result of the specific policy instructed by the Administration to the
Chronicle's Board.
This 'exclusion' is certainly synonymous with 'marginalisation' , and
is reflective of the style of micro-management which permeates every
public sector organisation in this country, without exception.
It is truly regrettable that this scholar suffers from the myopia that
afflicts his colleagues and masters. So that rather than deafening
himself to the assertions of 'marginalisation' in our environment, he
should be persuaded to investigate the validity of the range of
situations identified. He could still do a substantive service to the
Administration, if he were to take such an initiative.
Part II therefore of Misir's Perspective on 'marginalisation'
published in the Sunday Chronicle of April 6, 2008, is another useless
exercise in obfuscatory statistics. The ethnic distribution continues
to be meaningless. This is compounded by the author's refusal to
recognise the 'marginalisation' of institutions, regardless of ethnic
distribution. Once again the allegation on Channel 6's (last)
programme on Friday night, April 11, that the Speaker of the National
Assembly was being disciplined is a worrying reference to the
marginalisation process.
Misir would certainly be familiar with the well publicised
micro-management of the UG Council, for example; and the embarrassing
'miniaturisation' (if he insists) of the Vice- Chancellor, amongst
others.
Again Misir should be invited to re-read (he couldn't possibly have
missed it!) S.N's editorial of April 11, 2008, and its explicit
reference to the 'marginalisation' of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
from which a perceptibly 'micro-managed' Foreign Minister has recently
demitted his stressed-out office.
Embarrassingly his successor, less than a week in office, has had her
views publicly challenged by the Head of the Presidential Secretariat
over the matter of Venezuela's aid to Buxton. This obvious confusion
of signals surrounding reporting relationships and accountability may
appear to have just emerged, but as a stressor, it is really
reflective of the continuum of micro-management from 'across the
road'.
Experiences of the Guyana Water Inc. (listed in Misir's table as
Guyana Water Authority), the Forestry Commission, Guyana Gold Board,
Go Invest and the NIS for example, are not necessarily dissimilar.
In one instance an official of a PPP Trade union is the non-executive
Director of a Board, with unchallenged responsibility and authority
for all appointments. Which brings us to this depressing fact: the
'Africans' condescendingly appointed to Public Boards are usually
expected to be 'politically correct'. They are not expected to flex
their intellectual muscle. Even 'politically incorrect' Indians,
however relevantly qualified, are not deemed acceptable. So much for
'ethnic' distribution.
But I began by saying that this was not an auspicious time for the
Misirs of this world. The recent dictat that has resulted in the
closure of Channel 6 for four months must surely be cause for their
blushes; and pause for their reflection on the insidious forms of
'marginalisation'.
Members of the ACB must feel at least discomfited.
Incidentally, this topic was discussed in the press as far back as
2005, when a certain Minister took the same myopic stance as currently
espoused. One Joelle Joaquin writing to SN at the time, had this to
say: "Marginalisation" is about: the demoralization of the spirit; the
consequential diminution of energy and motivation to produce; the loss
of hope – which descends into desperation to quit and migrate – all to
the detriment of self, family and the community as a whole.
Fundamentally it is the loss of self-respect which unhappily informs
the loss of respect for those who caused the condition.
Marginalisation is in fact so endemic a condition in the society that
it is accepted as a natural phenomenon, and hardly perceived as an
aberration."
Yours faithfully,
Carl Abrahams
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