Robert Pickersgill
IT'S EARLY days as yet but already there has been a slimmed down Cabinet, with the current 14 members, expected to do what 17 members previously did. If this is a slight shift in steps towards a smaller government, then it's a step in the right direction.
From the ministerial appointments, it is clear that not much of a seismic shift could have taken place, after the battering and bruising of the presidential campaign, since they are all party colleagues and to have made major changes would have shown pettiness and spite (which is something that Portia, or to be diplomatically correct, something that Madam Prime Minister has never been accused of, throughout her career). Some changes were allowed by the departure of previous Ministers, like the well-respected Burchell Whiteman, and John Junor (into retirement, out of Cabinet life), but it was also expected that the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, K.D. Knight, would resign and he duly obliged. This, therefore, left scope for a realignment of posts and the appointment of new ones, giving us some clear winners and a few losers.
MAJOR GAINERS
The major gainers are obviously the newly appointed Ministers: Derrick Kellier (for Labour); Colin Campbell (for Information and Development); Anthony Hylton (for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade). Some new entrants stepped up from being junior ministers, while someone like Anthony Hylton was long recognised as a high quality performer (based on his previous stint in the Cabinet) and his appointment was long overdue.
There are also winners in those who kept their posts although there was unlikely to be any shifts as with National Security and Finance (Drs. Phillips and Davies, respectively). Minister Paulwell has been given the additional responsibility of development, at the expense of Dr. Robertson (the first doctoral casualty). I don't know if it's a promotion or a demotion, but Horace Dalley has been switched to Health, out of Labour, and no doubt several union delegates are smiling at this. Danny Buchanan also loses out in this new Cabinet. Dr. Blythe remains a major loser as despite his presidential bid and closeness to the new Prime Minister, he remains outside the cabinet, still blighted by Operation Pride after-shocks.
DYNAMIC ASSAMBA
Maxine Henry-Wilson retains her Education post, despite the fears of some, but has lost Culture, which goes to the dynamic Assamba, along with Tourism and Entertainment. Roger Clarke, has added Land to his agricultural portfolio ( a gain), while Dean Peart retains the Environment but takes over Local Government from the new P.M. Ministers A. J. Nicholson and Bobby Pickersgill both retain their posts as well (with the latter running a super-ministry) and, the new P.M. has added the usual prime ministerial Defence portfolio to her plate, while keeping Sports.
So there you have it, still a preponderance of males in the cabinet with only three females in the 14 member cabinet. Whether either the JLP (under Golding), or the PNP (under Simpson Miller) will be even more bold and propose to raise the numerical representation of females in the next Cabinet, after the call of the next general elections, still remains a mystery.
