Cabinet rollout

On May 1, President Christine Kangaloo swore into office a returning prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and a returning attorney general, John Jeremie.

On May 3, the new Cabinet was sworn in and each office holder will find that there's considerable urgency building regarding their stewardship of the country.

The Cabinet is a large team, with an additional four junior ministers in the energy, housing, health and public utilities ministries.

It reflects a return to some of the imperatives of the 2010 UNC government, such as the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the People.

New ministries have been created. Homeland Security and Defence stand out. Although, Mrs Persad-Bissessar spoke on the UNC election platform of a new way to deal with national security, it is hoped that she and her new ministers, former senior superintendent Roger Alexander, and attorney Wayne Sturge will soon tell the nation exactly how the ministries will operate.

Digital transformation has been merged into the rebranded Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence. How that will work also remains to be seen.

There also seems to be some doubling up.

Mr Jeremie was sworn in as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. Yet, attorney Saddam Hosein was announced as the Minister of Legal Affairs, as well as Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. Devesh Maharaj will serve as Justice Minister and Minister in the Attorney General’s office. Again, we call for clarity in duties in the coming days.

Labour also gets to play key roles for endorsing Mrs Persad-Bissessar in the coalition of interests for the election. The rewards – former PSA president Leroy Baptiste was appointed a senator and Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise. Ernesto Kesar will work as a minister in the Energy and Energy Ministry alongside line Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, and Clyde Elder is a minister in Public Utilities working with Minister Barry Padarath.

Clearly Mrs Persad-Bissessar is expecting much from her new appointees and that reflects the expectations of the electorate that voted her team into office. She immediately announced assignments to ministers to repeal the TT Revenue Authority Act, draft legislation, strengthen gun-ownership laws, and looking to Guyana, Suriname and Grenada for new energy partnerships.

The new Cabinet will not be the only force in a refreshed approach to governance. That will fall to the directors and chairmen of statutory bodies and state agencies along with the public servants who actually guide and execute the government's policy directives.

Mrs Persad-Bissessar has sent a powerful signal of change with her new Cabinet. Now she will have to choose carefully which eggs must be broken to produce an omelette palatable to the public.