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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 69 - Friday May 13, 2005 |
Yvor Nassief Good Choice for Minister of Tourism
 by Thomson Fontaine
If there was any doubt that this new prime Minister in Dominica is
far from shy when it comes to making bold and unpredictable
decisions, those doubts vanished with his announcement of his One
China Policy. And then there is this unlikely choice of Yvor Nassief
to head the hugely important ministry of Tourism and Industry.
What a bombshell! It apparently took Dominica by surprise; and there
is a significant body of opposition to this choice mainly on the
grounds that Mr. Nassief is not "a people person", that he is aloof
and often comes across as abrasive and generally difficult to get
along with. I am told that there is opposition to the choice even
among labor supporters.
I say: hurrah. It�s not about Nassief. Rather, it's all about Prime
Minister Skerrit and his bold vision for the country.
The closest parallel I can find in recent political history to
compare the Nassief initiative to, is US President Bill Clinton's
embrace of Allan Greenspan, then Chairman of the Federal Reserve,
the US central bank.
At Clinton's first speech to a joint session of
Congress he famously sat Greenspan next to his wife, Hillary. When
the cameras turned to Greenspan sitting next to the First lady,
clever analysts rightly understood the symbolic value of the
picture.
Clinton was trying to send a message about his priority viz
a viz fiscal discipline and his intentions to rein in the country's
budget deficits. This was crucial, given traditional Republican
propaganda that Democrats were big spending liberals. Clinton's
legacy of balanced budget and economic growth is a matter of
historical record.
I believe Skerrit is clever enough to have calculated that having
Nassief in his cabinet and especially in Industry and Tourism, two
critical areas that could either make or brake his legacy, would
send a clear message that he means business.
Once again the Prime Minister has made a bold bet and I applaud him
for it. Sure, he may be spending some of the political capital he
rightly earned in the elections, as some people will undoubtedly be
mad at him for what they perceive to be a poor choice.
But that's
what differentiates a statesman from a politician. The former is
blessed with a vision and the will to put country before policies.
Quite frankly, if Dominica had a developed financial market, you
would most likely see the markets applaud the choice with a
significant rally. Confidence building measures are important to
investor psychology.
I just hope that Dominicans don't go too far with this bashing I
suspect Nassief will take, in the same way they have been basing the
President, for God's sake.
It seems to me that it would be
tremendously more helpful to bear in mind that the need to employ
the best talent for the job ahead should take precedence over the
petty bickering that really just boils down to differences in
personality.
Besides, the UWP boasted that they are a party of "experienced
businessmen". Skerrit seems to have beaten them to the punch by
appointing someone whose very name spells business in Dominica.
Congratulations to the Prime Minister.
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