CABINET FOR RENEWAL

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness yesterday announced a 19-member Cabinet, the composition of which he said is aimed at building on the momentum and experience of the previous administration, while creating room for renewal.

Speaking to the newly appointed government ministers during yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony at King’s House in St Andrew, Holness also indicated that his third consecutive term in office “will also be about seamless succession and transition planning”.

“As time passes, you will see the momentum of renewal accelerating, steadily reshaping not only the composition of the Government, but also the way the Government thinks, acts and delivers for the Jamaican people,” the prime minister, who is also minister of defence and minister of economic growth and infrastructure development, said.

“We will never be archaic or unable to change, but we will also give stability, the confidence, the assurance, and the certainty of good results for the Jamaican people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Andrew Wheatley and Robert Montague were both recalled to duty, while the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, which was formerly led by Marlene Malahoo Forte, is to be joined with the Ministry of Justice.

Wheatley, who resigned from Cabinet in 2018 to allow for issues surrounding the management of the energy, science and technology portfolio to be ventilated, has been appointed minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for science, technology and special projects.

Montague has been named minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, with responsibility for land-titling and settlements. He had resigned in 2022 in the wake of a damning Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority.

Matthew Samuda, in the meantime, is now minister of water, environment and climate change, a departure from his previous appointment as a minister without portfolio.

The Ministry of National Security has been renamed the Ministry of National Security and Peace, with Dr Horace Chang retaining leadership. Fayval Williams continues as minister of finance and the public service, while Senator Kamina Johnson Smith remains minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade.

Edmund Bartlett remains minister of tourism, while Dr Christopher Tufton continues as minister of health and wellness. Olivia Grange retains her post as minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, while Delroy Chuck is now the minister of justice, legal and constitutional affairs; and Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon continues as minister of education, skills, youth and information.

Senator Aubyn Hill continues as minister of industry, investment and commerce; Desmond McKenzie remains minister of local government and rural development, and Pearnel Charles Jr retains the portfolio for labour and social security. Daryl Vaz stays on as minister of transport, telecommunications and energy (removing science), while Floyd Green continues as minister of agriculture, fisheries and mining.

Ambassador Audrey Marks has been appointed minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for efficiency, innovation and digital transformation, while Robert Morgan remains minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, overseeing works.

In the meantime, Johnson Smith, Hill and Morris Dixon were appointed as senators during yesterday’s ceremony.

They were joined by Tom Tavares-Finson, Charles Sinclair, Abka Fitz-Henley, Keith Duncan, Sherene Golding Campbell, Kavan Anthony Gayle, Marlon Morgan, Dr Elon Thompson, Rose Marie Bennett-Cooper,and Christian Tavares-Finson, who were also appointed to the Senate.

Stating that organisations can only remain relevant if they renew, Holness stressed that the one he leads is in the process of doing so, but without disruption.

“We’ll do it in a balanced way, continuity gives us strength, renewal gives us dynamism, and we’ll have both. Together… this will allow us to carry forward what works, while creating space for what we can do differently,” he said.

Holness said the Government’s agenda for this new administration will be to unlock the country’s potential in all areas of development. He emphasised that the work is interconnected and called for Cabinet members to work as a team.

“This is not about our legacy, it is about fulfilling Jamaica’s destiny. This is not about title, it is about service. The Cabinet will be judged by outcomes, not announcements; by results, not rhetoric. Each of you will have clear targets and will be held accountable for meeting them.”

The prime minister also cautioned Cabinet members against disregarding the “sacred trust” placed in them by the Jamaican people to conduct the country’s affairs circumspectly.

“I remind you that corruption and arrogance are not just a curse of failure, they weaken the entire government. Corruption drains resources, erodes public trust, and gives our opponent the sharpest weapons to discredit everything we seek to achieve. Arrogance blinds us to the needs of the people we serve and distances us from the humility that leadership demands,” he said.

“If we allow this in our ranks, it is not only the Government that will suffer, but the confidence of the Jamaican people in their democracy,” he added.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com