Marlene to be appointed as minister again

FORMER Housing Minister Marlene McDonald is to be appointed a minister in The Ministry of Public Administration and Communications.

In a release from the Office of the Prime Minister it was announced that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on Thursday advised President Anthony Carmona to appoint McDonald as a Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration and Communications, where she will assist the Prime Minister who continues to hold the portfolio which he assumed since the substantive minister, the Honourable Maxie Cuffie, fell ill a few months ago.

In making the appointment the Prime Minister said “Ms McDonald can make a valuable contribution to the ministry and I am confident that she will meritoriously perform the duties required as a minister in the ministry."

McDonald, in accepting the appointment, pledged to dedicate herself to the business of the ministry and said that she was “committed and motivated to perform”.

She was scheduled to be sworn in at 1:30 pm on Thursday.

McDonald was first elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Port-of-Spain South on November 5, 2007, at which time she was appointed Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs. From 2010 to 2015 she served in Opposition as the Chief Whip.

She was re-elected to the House of Representatives of the 11th Parliament on September 7, 2015. Four days later she was appointed Minister of Housing and Urban Development, a position she held until March 17, 2016. She was then appointed Minister of Public Utilities from June 30, 2017, a position she held until July 1, 2017.

"Ms. McDonald is an experienced parliamentarian and her contribution to the ministry is welcomed," the release added.

McDonald was axed as Housing Minister after questions had arisen over her alleged recommendation of public housing for her male companion, Michael Carew. She was also queried over donations from her ministry when she was minister in 2010 of $375,000 and $200,000 plus another sum to the Calabar Foundation, of which Carew was said to be a director. McDonald had assured all was above board.

She was fired as Public Utilities Minister just 48 hours after her swearing-in ceremony after the advocacy group, Fixin’ T&T in an online post raised red flags about her guest, Sea Lots personality Cedric Burke, whose presence reportedly alarmed Special Branch officers at the event and reportedly incensed Rowley upon his learning of it later on.