Govt announces top diplomatic posts

The new A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government on Friday finally released the list of persons who have been appointed to various diplomatic posts after 10 months of deliberations and the removal of individuals who were appointed by the previous Administration.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that arrangements are currently being made to have the new appointees take up their respective postings in various countries.

Among the new appointees are several high-ranking strong men and women from the bosom of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and close associate of the AFC.
The release stated that Frederick Hamley Case has been appointed Guyana’s new   High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Case, a renowned businessman has replaced Laleshwar Singh. He is a former Executive Member of the PNC and held several high-ranking Opposition portfolio’s for the party.

Similarly, the Ministry reported that prominent Attorney and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Clarissa Sabita Riehl, had been appointed as High Commissioner to Canada.
Riehl who had various squabbles with the leadership of the party after President David Granger was parachuted into the post of leader spoke out during the last PNC congress about the unfairness of the process and the undemocratic pathway that was being followed.

It was long speculated that she would have been given such a post. The former deputy Speaker of the House now replaces Rajnarine Singh.

Meanwhile, Bayney Karran has been appointed as Guyana’s new Ambassador to China. Karran who has been serving in Washington DC, United States, for a number of years now replaces Professor David Dabydeen.

David T A Hales has been appointed the country’s new Ambassador to Belgium, while Halim Majeed will now function as Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba.

Hales as the new Ambassador to Belgium replaces Dr Patrick Gomes; while Halim Majeed succeeds Mitradev Ali. Majeed was the former Deputy Chief Political to President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, former Chief Political Adviser to the late President Desmond Hoyte and Head of the Political and Press Division, Office of the President.

The coalition also announced that Esther Griffith will now function as Guyana’s Consul General, in Nickerie, Suriname.

Back in September 2015, Government announced that it was taking active steps to recall several serving Guyanese diplomats and Ambassadors with the intention of replacing them.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon stated that all Guyanese diplomats, inclusive of Ambassadors, Consul Generals and High Commissioners have been notified that they were likely to be replaced in the upcoming weeks.