Rowley calls 2-day Cabinet retreat

However, the agenda for the event remains unclear.

In a brief statement yesterday, the Office of the Prime Minister said during the two-day event, the Cabinet also will meet with other non-Cabinet members of Government and permanent secretaries.

The statement said following the deliberations, there will be a media briefing, hosted by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Communications and Public Administration Minister Maxie Cuffie and Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young.

The statement provided no further details but followed six killings between Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning, which pushed the country’s murder toll to 461.

There also were unconfirmed reports the murders prompted an emergency meeting involving top brass of the TT Police Service.

Yesterday, Cuffie described the retreat as merely “a planning exercise.” Told that the statement was short on details, the minister would only say: “There is nothing more that I can add to it. We had a retreat last year. All administrations have retreats.” The PNM, which defeated the People’s Partnership in the September 7, 2015, general election, held a retreat at the Magdalena Grand Hotel, Lowlands, Tobago, on March 4 and 5, 2016, seven months after assuming office.

Ahead of that retreat, Cuffie had told Newsday: “I think every Government within the first year goes on a retreat and companies do it as well.” On that occasion, he said retreats provided an opportunity to, “look at your strategic objectives and you position yourself for the road ahead.” Next week’s retreat comes three months after the Prime Minister held a Cabinet reshuffle in which the appointments of two ministers, Nicole Olivierre (Energy and Energy Industries) and Ancil Antoine (Public Utilities) and one senator Sarah Budhu, were revoked.

Former Rural Development Minister Franklin Khan was made Energy Minister, while Fitzgerald Hinds was appointed Public Utilities Minister.

Rowley also had announced the appointment of PNM deputy leader Rohan Sinanan to the Cabinet as a government senator and Minister of Works of Transport while former mayor Kazim Hosein was appointed Minister of Rural Development and Local Government.