Christine Sahadeo joins Government

NATIONAL FLOUR MILLS (NFM) chairman Christine Sahadeo will be sworn in as Minister in the Ministry of Finance tomorrow at 10 am at President’s House, effectively paving the way for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to relinquish the finance  portfolio.

Manning made the announcement during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, but declined to say which of the three in his Finance Ministry, Ken Valley, Conrad Enill or Sahadeo would succeed him as Minister of Finance. He said that the appointment of Sahadeo did not mean that Valley was leaving Finance, describing the development simply as a reallocation of portfolios. The Prime Minister indicated that during its six years in Government, the United National Congress (UNC) grossly neglected the needs of the country’s Foreign Service and several key posts have remained vacant to this day. He dismissed reports that former Foreign Affairs Minister Ralph Maraj was being considered for a diplomatic posting to India but confirmed that Government Senator Pundit Maniedeo Persad would take leave of the Senate today in preparation for his ambassadorial posting to a country which the Prime Minister declined to reveal. He stated that once Persad resigns, Sahadeo would be appointed a government senator and junior finance minister.

Manning said the aim will be to have three junior finance ministers — Ken Valley, Conrad Enill and Sahadeo — and for him to eventually turn over the helm of the Finance Ministry to one of them. He said it was always his intention “to be Prime Minister alone” but declined to say which of the trio would eventually replace him as Finance Minister because the issue did not arise at this time. Recalling the numerous criticisms levelled about the size of his Cabinet, Manning said Trinidad and Tobago did not have the sophistication of more developed countries that have smaller Cabinets and having watched his predecessors organise their governments, felt this was the best formula for governance.  The Prime Minister added that if errors were made along the road, his administration would make the necessary corrections. Noting that the fourth report of the Elections and Boundaries Commission of the Local Government Act Chap 25:50 for the purpose of Local Government Elections would be debated in Parliament today, Manning said it was very unlikely that an election date would be announced.