Today, led by a Prime Minister who has his own mandate, we have a Cabinet reflecting the one the people chose at the polls but still with a few wise changes to show this administration is taking fresh guard – as it must.
For those who have retained their ministries, I have mixed feelings. Two years ago I would not have placed Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo in the executive team but the passage of time has shown her to be effective in the labour ministry.
She has piloted the Employment Rights Bill through Parliament and started work on other labour-related legislation; so such ground-breaking efforts cannot go unnoticed.
I’m not sure Donville Inniss should have been moved from the Ministry of Health, but one must admit that as an experienced businessman he will bring that acumen to bear on the ministries to which he has been assigned: International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development.
Beyond him, though, the pairing of international business with small business, and by extension commerce, is a bright move for this 21st century administration, especially if it is seeking to empower entrepreneurs and create employment. Looking at the Cabinet, Inniss is probably best suited to do this.
Regarding John Boyce, he would have seemed a perfect fit, as a trained engineer, for Transport and Works five years ago, but today he remains associated with that monstrously massive and dangerous roundabout at Warrens.
Denis Kellman has made a bit of an impact as CARICOM ambassador and Minister of Small Business.
This senior member of the Democratic Labour Party also needed opportunities to put the bad old maverick days behind him, and has certainly shown an aptitude for community/tourism-linked small business development through his personal example in the north.
The Housing and Lands portfolio should give him a chance to establish in his parish, St Lucy, centres for education and tourism.
Former housing minister Michael Lashley has hit the ground running, going into the Ministry of Transport and Works headquarters to get the lay of the land.
If he brings the same zest he put into housing, he should put the lie to any belief that the state-owned Transport Board should be privatized.
The Board provides an essential public service, and it is good that an enthusiastic minister is being assigned to this area that cries for massive improvement.
I wait with bated breath to see what will be done for the hard-working Haynesley Benn. A foreign posting may be in the works, but whatever happens he deserves to function in this team as a result of his longstanding contribution in and out of government.
George Hutson, a successful accountant in his own right, sought to make a contribution in public life but unfortunately his tenure was marked by the fall of REDjet, the continued woes of LIAT, and the decline of the international business sector.
Patrick Todd had five years in key ministries but did not exude the confidence his constituents expected. It’s worth watching whether new City MP Jeffrey Bostic, who anchored his recent campaign on the youths and first-time voters, will make a difference in The City, and whether Todd will execute his administrative duties with more confidence and people-centred focus.
Jepter Ince and Harry Husbands are both good fits in their ministries, with respective economic and pedagogic backgrounds, while Irene Sandiford-Garner, I believe, needed a new challenge. Housing, perhaps?
Minister of Education Ronald Jones can consider himself lucky; for as far as the public is concerned, he did not handle the Alexandra situation with the authority required.
Despite the rumours, one should look forward to Dr David Estwick’s continued grasp of the technical, technological and renewable energy-related dynamics of agriculture, and the rum/molasses industry.
The Prime Minister must now work closely alongside his finance minister Chris Sinckler to propel entrepreneurship and thereby create employment; since jobs still must be the No. 1 job.
Now, onward to the Estimates Debate.
• Ricky Jordan is an Associate Editor of THE NATION.
