PM says more Cabinet changes to come
Published:Tuesday | January 11, 2022 | 2:16 PM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has signalled that more changes will be coming to the Executive in the future as the Government strengthens how it manages the affairs of the country.
Holness said that the Government is committed to building a strong Jamaica.
He made the remarks during this morning's virtual swearing-in of the new ministerial appointments.
“In any Government, there will always be need for human resource management. Like a company, like any organisation, you have to move your staff around, you have to place people in positions that suit their competencies, and you have to pay attention to what the public, that you serve, is saying.”
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This morning, Floyd Green, who has returned as a Minister without Portfolio at the Office of the Prime Minister, and Frank Witter, the new Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, took the oath of office.
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So too did Marlene Malahoo Forte as the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs and Dr Derrick McKoy, who took her previous position as Attorney General.
Holness said that he is confident that they are up to the task.
Among other things, he said that Green will play a key role in the rollout of the government's National Identification System (NIDS) and Witter is to help mobilise and support farmers as the country seeks to boost agriculture as part of recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stressing that the government is committed to legislative and constitutional reforms, Holness said that Malahoo Forte and McKoy will have critical roles in the fulfilment of that agenda.
“So this is one iteration of the changes that will have to be made to the Cabinet to get us to that point of fulfilling our mandate fully to the people. So there will be more changes to come to the Cabinet,” said Holness.
“Right now, we have focused on getting the government's legislative agenda settled, getting agriculture back on track, getting information back on track….so we have, in this iteration, addressed some areas of government performance. Later on in the year, or as opportunities present themselves, there will be more changes to come,” he added.
Holness charged that the Government remains stable and solid amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
“We have competent people. We have a clearly set goal and mission, and with the challenges we face with the pandemic, we can say, unlike most countries, that we have been surviving the pandemic, certainly from a fiscal standpoint, very well.
“We have challenges with crime but we have our plans in place and we're steadily working through those and I wish to assure people of Jamaica that we will not be deterred and we are on the job 24/7 working in your service.”
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