Finding new energy

THE PRIME Minister’s Cabinet reshuffle has been met with tepid responses in some quarters, with many viewing the appointment of Stuart Young as Minister of Energy in particular with scepticism.

However, there are good reasons why Mr Young may be a good fit for the portfolio at this time.

Certainly, the movement of a minister of national security to the Ministry of Energy is unusual. The last three energy ministers had direct ties to the industry.

But there is precedent for the juxtaposition of these portfolios. At various points, the PNM’s Overand Padmore held both. Between 1973 and 1975 he was Minister of National Security. He oversaw energy matters between 1971 and 1973.

Mr Young’s background in law has raised doubts as to whether he is qualified for his new job. Perhaps because of this, emphasis has been placed on the role he apparently played in recent negotiations with international companies. According to the Energy Chamber, Mr Young has been involved in the restructuring of what is known as the gas value chain, which is how we make the most out of our resources.

But legal issues will not be the full extent of Mr Young’s responsibilities, though they will be instrumental.

Profound ethical and economic considerations loom over the management of our scarce resources, as well as the disposal of key assets, such as those relating to Petrotrin.

The need for sustainable sources of energy and for self-sufficiency in a global economy that has been disrupted by the pandemic is urgent.

In an environment currently being ravaged by the climate crisis, Mr Young will almost certainly have to consider initiatives that his predecessors never anticipated, far less imagined. Therefore, his transferable legal skills aside, his fresh outlook may well prove a tremendous asset.

Mr Young leaves in his wake unresolved questions about border policies, from entry exemptions to forced deportations, back at the Ministry of National Security. Such matters now fall to Fitzgerald Hinds.

In addition, Mr Hinds has a background in policing and it is hoped this perspective might qualify him to tackle the problems facing law enforcement. We have seen more than enough evidence to suggest the entire criminal justice system, as well as the systems relating to police oversight from top to bottom, is in want of reform.

But whether Mr Hinds will be able to make an impact will depend on whether enough people can see past his baggage, such as a bizarre gaffe during his tenure as Minister of Youth Development and National Service in which he seemed to criticise a beggar for being youthful.

It remains to be seen whether both men, as well as Mr Hinds’s replacement Foster Cummings, can inject fresh energy into their respective portfolios.