President Ali holds first Cabinet meeting

─ awaits rapid assessment report of state agencies 

DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 7, 2020

Six days into his Presidency, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has held his first official Cabinet meeting. The meeting comes two days after the Head of State appointed the remaining members of his Cabinet and Ministers of Government.

After he took the Oath of Office on Sunday last, the new President had appointed his transition team and senior government Ministers.

Confirmation of Friday’s Cabinet meeting came from Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Hon. Gail Teixeira, during a virtual media update today.

“This is where some major decisions, I’m sure, will be made to allow for some expediting transition of our government,” Minister Teixeira stated. 

While still adhering to COVID-19 regulations, the Minister said the Head of State held meetings with stakeholders across the board, and at the moment is awaiting reports from a Rapid Assessment Team on the status of various government agencies.

That team, Minister Teixeira clarified, was working pro-bono.

“It’s a rapid assessment team to give the President, in the shortest possible time, an assessment of key state agencies and, of course, you the viewers know one of the key ones is N.I.C.I.L [National Industrial & Commercial Investments Ltd.], where a lot of state assets have been transferred and purchased in the period since the no-confidence motion and even during the period of the five months waiting on the election results.”

The Senior Government Minster explained that the assessment was not an audit.

“This is just to present to the government and the President, a quick overview of the state of these critical agencies in government,” Minister Teixeira noted.  

Meanwhile, remarking on comments made by Former President David Granger, of alleged witch-hunting by the current government and of persons being dismissed, Minister Teixeira described this as exaggeration and misinforming the public.

“No one has been terminated or fired,” the Minister posited. 

The Rapid Assessment Team is expected to hand in its report very soon.