President Jagdeo continues to show energy and dedication. He meets the vendors and tries to solve their problems. He meets the protesters in Berbice and later the relatives of those who died as a result of the fracas with BASS. He has the usual presidential schedule of official trips overseas. At the same time, he keeps an eye on the Ministry of Finance and in particular the dealings with the international financial institutions and has indicated an intention to be personally involved, perhaps as Chairman, in the operations of Go-Invest.

At a time when the problem is so often a lack of energy and commitment one does not readily criticise a young President for trying to do too much. The motivation is, we believe, admirable and springs from a desire to get things done. It may be spurred on by an awareness that things have not been done by some of his colleagues in a timely or efficient manner and a resulting lack of confidence. But however well intentioned, there is inevitably a downside.

In the first place, it is impossible to do all of these things well and with due consideration. The normal schedule of an executive president is a heavy one. If to this is added some of the things mentioned above inevitably some decisions will be made hastily and there will be mistakes both of protocol and of substance.

Secondly, if one does the work of other ministers or trespasses on their portfolio it weakens their confidence. The answer is to reshuffle or remove those who don't perform, though of course that may be politically difficult especially in view of the limitations on technocrats serving as ministers.

Finally, it may mean that because of an extremely busy schedule, and a number of unexpected interruptions, a number of things that are important and should be a priority don't get done. A case in point may be Go-Invest. It is perhaps understandable that the President wants to play some direct part in this given the important role it can play in soliciting investments. However, because of all the other things on his plate he may find it getting pushed on to the back burner.

All really good Chief Executive Officers eventually learn that they have to delegate some important functions and to create an effective team. There is no way they can keep all the reins in their hand. That eventually creates the very delays and inefficiency it seeks to overcome. The President should, we suggest, carefully reflect on all the many functions he now performs and carry out an evaluation of what the real priorities are and what should be assigned to others. Responding to every crisis personally is not practical and will eventually be counterproductive. It is time to let some things go and let others take up the slack.