Three senior Ministers out of TT

LEGAL AFFAIRS Minister Danny Montano will act as Foreign Affairs Minister in the absence of Senator Knowlson Gift who is currently out of the country on government business. Gift left Monday with Prime Minister Patrick Manning for the Bahamas for talks between Caricom leaders and members of Haiti’s political opposition and civil society. Manning’s presence in the Bahamas is in keeping with a promise he made to United States President George W Bush in December that Trinidad and Tobago would do its part to normalise tensions in Haiti.

At a January 2 news conference at Whitehall with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Manning said Caricom could not afford to turn a blind eye to problems in Haiti and those problems must be resolved through “quiet diplomacy.” Annan said the UN would help to bring stability to Haiti but long-term stability in that nation was ultimately the responsibility of the Haitian people. The talks are expected to last two days with Manning and Gift scheduled to return home tomorrow. Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams has been appointed Acting Prime Minister in Manning’s absence. Manning and Gift’s absence brings to three, the number of senior Cabinet ministers who are currently out of the country. On Sunday, Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Minister Colm Imbert was appointed to temporarily act for Works and Transport Minister Franklyn Khan.

Imbert held the Works portfolio during the first Manning Administration of 1991 to 1995 and  was subsequently Health Minister from December 24, 2001 to November 7, 2003 when the Cabinet was reshuffled and he was assigned his current portfolio. John Rahael is the current Health Minister. In addition to Montano’s appointment, Joan Hackshaw-Marslin was appointed a temporary Government senator in Gift’s absence.

Montano and Hackshaw-Marslin’s appointments were made by President George Maxwell Richards on the advice of the Prime Minister, in accordance with Sections 40 and 44 of the Constitution. The President also appointed Maurice St John to act as chairman of the Police Service and Public Service Commissions and Sakal Seemungal to act as deputy chairman of the Public Service Commission. President Richards made these appointments after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition and in accordance with Sections 120 (2) and 122 (2) of the Constitution. Chairman of the Public Service and Police Service Commission Kenneth Lalla is currently on vacation leave.