From left below Prime Minister Hon PJ Patterson are: Pickersgill, Transport/Works; Knight, Foreign Affairs/Trade; Junor, Health; Clarke, Agriculture; Davies, Finance and Planning; Simpson Miller, L. Gov't/ Comm. Dev./Sport; Paulwell, Commerce/Science /Technology; Henry-Wilson, Education, Youth, Culture; Buchanan, Housing/Water; Phillips, Nat'l Security; Dalley, Labour/ Social Security; Robertson, Development; Nicholson, A-G/Justice; Peart, Land & Environment; Assamba; Tourism/Industry; and, Whiteman, Information
Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporter
ALOUN N'DOMBET Assamba is the only newcomer to the 17-member Cabinet announced yesterday by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson at Jamaica House.
Mrs Assamba who served as a junior minister in the Industry, Commerce and Technology Ministry in the last People's National Party (PNP) administration, joins two other women in the Cabinet Maxine Henry-Wilson and Portia Simpson Miller.
She takes over the Tourism Ministry which was formerly headed by Mrs Simpson Miller, and has been given the Industry portfolio, as well, which formed part of her old Ministry headed by Phillip Paulwell. Of the combined Ministry the Prime Minister said: "These sectors must grow and earn the precious foreign exchange we need".
"There are natural synergies which flow from the search by these two sectors for investments and the clientele they seek to attract," he added. It will be Mrs Assamba's responsibility to promote the country's entertainment industry, as well.
For her part, Mrs Simpson Miller, whose stint at the Tourism Ministry has been described as ordinary, has been reassigned to the Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport.
Mrs Henry-Wilson, a former Information Minister, gave up her senatorial and ministerial appointments last November to concentrate on campaigning for the recent general election. She has been rewarded with the important Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture.
She told The Gleaner she was happy with her appointment. "I like education. I'm a fervent educator. Not just in the narrow sense of the world of learning, but also in the sense of experience, multi-cultural approaches, multi-sectoral app-roaches - a rounded personality".
While Mrs Henry-Wilson has relieved Burchell Whiteman of his portfolio, Whiteman will remain a key member of the executive, as the Minister of Information functioning out of the Office of the Prime Minister. He will also remain as Leader of Government Business in the Senate.
Also back in the Cabinet is Dr. Paul Robertson, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs who, like Mrs Henry-Wilson, gave up ministerial responsibility last year to work as the PNP's election Campaign Director. He has been made Minister of Development and will work out of the Cabinet office.
With job creation being given priority treatment by the Government, Dr. Robertson will seek to ensure that bureaucratic impediments are removed and that "harmonious relations" exist will all elements of the productive sector. With the Mining and Energy Ministry scrapped, Dr. Robertson's responsibilities will also embrace the bauxite and alumina industries which, according to the Prime Minister, are "well poised for major expansion".
Phillip Paulwell has been retained as Commerce and Technology Minister, with added responsibility for Science. His Ministry will embrace the energy sector. Horace Dalley and Dean Peart have switched roles, with Dalley moving to Labour and Social Security, and Peart taking on Land and Environment.
Those retaining their previous portfolios are: Dr. Omar Davies, Finance and Planning; Roger Clarke, Agriculture; Robert Pickersgill, Transport and Works; Dr. Peter Phillips, National Security; K.D. Knight, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; John Junor, Health; A.J. Nicholson, Attorney General and Justice; and Donald Buchanan, Water and Housing.
Dr. Phillips will continue as Leader of Government Business in the House, and the operations of the National Investment Bank of Jamaica have been transferred to the Finance and Planning Ministry. Paulwell's new ministry will embrace the energy sector.
The full team will be sworn-in at 10:00 this morning in a ceremony at Kings House. Mr Patterson told journalists at yesterday's press briefing. He said Ministers of State (junior ministers) will be appointed "early next week".
