Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves has issued a sharp reprimand to National Insurance Services (NIS) Board Chairman Stephen Joachim, warning that the chairman’s recent dismissal of public critics borders on advocating for an “oligarchy” rather than a democracy.
The controversy stems from the public reaction to the appointment of Ronette Lewis as the new Director of the NIS, with some online critics questioning her selection because she is not an actuary. While Gonsalves fully supported Joachim’s defense of the appointment agreeing that actuarial skills are not strictly necessary for the top managerial role and praising the rigorous 54-candidate selection process, he strongly condemned how Joachim handled the public backlash.
According to reports referenced by Gonsalves, an irritated Joachim lambasted online critics, asking, “What is your track record? What have you accomplished in your life? What makes you think that you are in a better place to judge the actions and decisions taken by certain people when you have never been in those positions or have any idea what they talking about”.
Gonsalves declared that Joachim “went overboard badly” with these remarks. He cautioned the chairman against adopting an elitist mindset that implies only experts or the “enlightened few” are entitled to opinions.
“If you do that you’re calling for oligarchy, not democracy,” Gonsalves stated, rebuking the idea of a “rule by a few”. He emphasized that government and national affairs are not exclusively the domain of experts, noting that “a lot of experts get a lot of things wrong” and are “not gods”. Gonsalves defended the capability of ordinary citizens to exercise good judgment, provided they base their opinions on facts and sound reasoning. He reminded Joachim that in a democratic society, the broad electorate always has the right to express their views, make mistakes, and correct them.
Gonsalves also pushed back against Joachim’s attempt to use Gonsalves’ own past rhetoric to dismiss the critics. Joachim reportedly invoked Gonsalves’ previous use of the term “internet crazies” to describe the online detractors. Gonsalves clarified that his use of the term was specifically directed at “rabid” and highly partisan political operatives attempting to “burn down everything,” rather than ordinary citizens expressing opinions on public appointments.
While expressing hope that the public criticism is not simply a “crab in the barrel” mentality driven by friends and family of unsuccessful applicants, Gonsalves advised Joachim to carefully contain his irritation. He warned the chairman to avoid making broad propositions that make the NIS board appear as an elite group attempting to silence the voice of the ordinary people