MOVING ON UP

PNM deputy political leader Rohan Sinanan - the man credited by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley with bringing home the 2015 general election for the party - was announced as the new Minister of Works and Transport.

Kazim Hosein, who two weeks ago was spearheading the San Fernando City Corporation’s disaster relief campaign for Hurricane-ravaged Haiti, in his capacity as San Fernando Mayor, is the new Minister of Rural Development and Local Government.

Stuart Young, who last week was one of several Bollywood ministers trying to sing and dance at the PNM’s Divali show, was made a full Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Previously, he was a Minister of State in the OPM in addition to being a Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs.

But while Young, Sinanan and Hosein have moved up the political ladder with full-time Cabinet positions and control of major ministries, both Nicole Olivierre and Ancil Antoine were shown Cabinet’s exit door as they were stripped of their posts of Energy and Public Utilities Ministers, respectively.

PNM Chairman and former Urban Development and Local Government Minister Franklin Khan was shifted to the Energy Ministry, while former Works and Transport Minister Fitzgerald Hinds is the new Public Utilities Minister. Olivierre and Antoine are now only Members of Parliament (MP).

News of the Cabinet reshuffle were contained in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister which indicated that Rowley had advised President Anthony Carmona to immediately act under the Constitution in relation to the listed changes. Also facing the chopping board was Government Senator Sarah Budhu whose appointment was revoked to allow Kazim to assume a Government Senatorship, which is a prerequisite in order for a non-MP to hold a Cabinet position. Sinanan is already a Government Senator.

Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald, whom many thought may have returned to the Cabinet via the reshuffle route, especially when Rowley retained faith in her as a PNM deputy political leader at the party’s Convention on the weekend, still remains an MP having been stripped of the post of Housing Minister several months ago.

WE READY New Energy Minister Franklin Khan said he was confident that his professional and political experience around the energy sector has equipped him to perform well in his new role and is satisfied that he has left his former ministry (Local Government) on solid ground.

He said his efforts over the past year toward local government reform have left a solid foundation for new Minister of Local Government Kazim Hosein, to continue the reform as the party heads towards the November 28 Local Government Elections.

Khan did not want to venture into the details of his new energy portfolio but said he is a trained petroleum geologist with over 20 years experience in the energy industry.

He said he had served on the Standing Committee on Energy both under this Government and under the past Patrick Manning Administration. “I know the energy sector well, and I understand it at a strategic level.” Hosein yesterday said he was shocked on being offered the Cabinet position but added that he is ready to continue serving the nation in a different capacity and said that his tenure as San Fernando Mayor would have helped him as he prepares for an even bigger ministerial responsibility.

Sinanan said he felt honoured to be chosen by Rowley to head one of the country’s most significant ministries. Referring to his speech in the recent Senate Budget debate, Sinanan said he stands100 percent behind the construction of two new highways from Wallerfield to Manzanilla and from Valencia to Toco. While not an engineer by profession, Sinanan said he has experience of construction in his own private business. He said his job will be to drive the process, but at the same time not challenge the technocrats. He too said he was ready to hit the ground running.

Olivierre was very upbeat as she was contacted by Newsday for a reaction to her demotion to that of an MP. In a media release, she thanked Dr Rowley for the opportunity to serve in a ministerial capacity.

“The experience was a valuable one and my life will forever be changed as a result,” said Olivierre. “I have a greater awareness of what is involved in running a government and I have a greater appreciation for the sacrifices cabinet ministers are required to make for the sake of their country. Having been relieved of my ministerial portfolio, she added, I now have more time to spend in my constituency and focus on the needs of my constituents.

2 TAKE OATH Yesterday, President Carmona swore in Sinanan and Hosein in a ceremony at the Office of the President in St Ann’s.

Hosein confirmed that he had resigned as San Fernando Mayor but also related his successes from that post including the recent compilation of an aid shipment to hurricane-stricken Haiti. He said he had done a lot as mayor largely through volunteerism, having done his best over the past three years.

Hosein said he came from humble roots and was now humbled by the new appointment. While Dr Rowley was present, he did not stick around after the ceremony and did not accede to reporters’ requests for an interview to explain the rationale behind his reshuffle of the Cabinet.