News & Current Affairs - Saturday, November 22, 2008 23:42

Prime Minister Thompson announces changes to his cabinet of Ministers

By Antillean,

Tags: Democratic Labour Party, Elections, Governance

bp56420-david-thompson

Prime Minister Thompson’s much anticipated cabinet reshuffle saw a number of unexpected, but largely sensible, reassignments of cabinet portfolios.

Notably, the Hon. Freundel Stuart has officially been named Deputy Prime Minister, while the Hon. Christopher Sinckler – former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Executive Coordinator of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre – has been reassigned to the ailing Ministry of Social Care, which will now sensibly combine Urban and Rural Development under one ministry. Senator Maxine McClean will now serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs after previously serving as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Immigration, while the Environment (along with new portfolios of Water Resources and Drainage) has been given a full ministry under Dr. Dennis Lowe.

Dr. David Estwick, formerly Minister of Health, now takes the immensely critical new role of Minister of Economic Affairs & Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry & Commerce. Meanwhile, Donville Innis moves from Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Minister of Health, with responsibility for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the overstretched public health system.

The full list of reassignments is as follows:

Hon. David Thompson: Minister of Finance & Investment, Labour, Civil Service & Energy
Formerly Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs & Development, Labour, Civil Service and Energy

Hon. Freundel Stuart: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Attorney-General
Formerly Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs

Dr. David Estwick: Minister of Economic Affairs & Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce
Formerly Minister of Health

Hon. Donville Innis: Minister of Health
Formerly Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Hon. John Boyce: Minister of Public Works & Transport
Formerly Minister of Public Works, Transport and International Transport
Note: International Transport has been removed from the Ministry of Public Works & Transport

Hon. George Hutson: Minister of International Transport & International Business
Formerly Minister of Trade, Industry & Commerce

Hon. Christopher Sinckler: Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment, Rural and Urban Development
Formerly Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business

Dr. Dennis Lowe: Minister of Environment, Water Resources and Drainage
Formerly Minister of Social Care
Note: New ministry created in Environment, Water and Drainage

Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, has been relieved of the Environment portfolio
now serves as Minister of Family, Youth Affairs and Sport
formerly Minister of Family, Youth Affairs, Sport and the Environment

Sen. Hon. Maxine McClean: Minister of Foreign Affairs
Formerly Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office

Sen. Arnie Walters: Minister of State: Labour & Immigration
Formerly Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office with special responsibility for Employment, Labour Relations and the Social Partnership

Sen. Darcy Boyce: Minister of State: Finance, Investment, Telecommunications and Energy
Formerly Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Finance and Energy

Hon. Patrick Todd: Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development
Formerly Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Urban Development

Sen. Irene Sandiford-Garner: Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office
Formerly Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development and Culture

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Antillean · Bridgetown, Barbados

The Antillean is a pan-Caribbean nonprofit media outlet, covering news, features and opinions on social issues in the Caribbean region and the wider Americas. Our mission is to encourage conversation on, and enhance the visibility of, social currencies within the hemisphere – issues which are often underreported in the mainstream media.

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12 Comments

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Russel M. from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 1:21

Exactly WHAT is David Estwick’s economic claim to fame?!!!!!!!! Barbados is facing CERTAIN recession and a medical doctor is head of economic affairs? WHAT? And what is the difference between Darcy Boyce and Estwick.. finance/econoomic affars – potato/potatoe? Nice populist move on ‘Ministry of… Drainage’. Wouldn’t MTW still handle that anyway?! Very confused at certain moves Mr. PM.

Observer from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 1:39

Russel, not sure what Estwick’s qualification is in Economics but I do know it was his specialisation on the campaign trail – he only spoke about the economy – if that makes a difference, LOL. I assume that Boyce is more senior to Estwick with regards to Barbados’ economic affairs since Minister of Finance is THE big role.

Observer from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 1:40

Maybe Estwick is Minister of Economic *Development*, a post Mia Mottley held and which would make him responsible for things like Invest Barbados.

Franklin Cummerbatch from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 1:52

stunned in a profound, profound way. absolutely lost at the choices he made on this one and at this time in barbados.

Confused from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 1:57

As my name says, I am confused. I did not know that Sinkler had experience in that area however – maybe that was good to move him. But Estwick??? Shall I post a youtube to commemorate this event? I think I shall! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StLfG_ghwas

Russel M. from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 2:58

Right, ok.

Ministry of Drainage.. hm! Barbados floods recently and now there’s a ministry for drainage, rather than shaking up the drainage unit at MTW. I don’t know I remain fantastically lost.

Toc from Kentucky, United States
Nov 23, 2008 3:25

I am pleased with the move of Sinckler, particularly for people who access social services and workers. I had little confidence in Minister Lowe after his vilification of social social workers in the media back in September, where he reportedly attributed poor worker performance to lack of self love and concluded that some workers were fit only for cleaning cattle waste! Hopefully Sinckler will approach this office with a greater degree of professionalism and less of the anecdotal remonstrations than we saw in the last 10 months.

Prime Minister David Thompson Reshuffles His Cabinet « Barbados Underground from Texas, United States
Nov 23, 2008 3:29

[...] http://blog.bajandream.org/2008/11/22/barbados-prime-minister-david-thompson-announces-changes-to-hi... [...]

Editor from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 3:34

Thank you Barbados Underground for the linkback, and providing some clarity on the role of Estwick. It’s a mouthful. Will update the post now.

Toc, after the Ministry of Social Transformation/Social Care has been failing all these years, I really have high hopes for it under Chris Sinckler as well.

Kathy Lehay from London, United Kingdom
Nov 23, 2008 5:05

As a social worker I’m also pleased with Sinckler. That is all I can find to say.

Eh? from Saint Michael, Barbados
Nov 23, 2008 13:55

The drainage is a bit of a query. Yes there were floods, is it better to establish a whole new ministry for this, or just to give the existing drainage unit the resources it needs to do it’s job properly?

Sherry Skeete from Saint Michael, Barbados
Dec 17, 2008 19:21

I think that the move with Sinckler is excellent strategy. We (the DLP), have never won that seat in the St. Stephens area. If we are to do so we must make solid that candidate, and what a better way than to put him in a post where he can provide jobs and actually help in the community. With his previous appointment (which i think he was doing an excellent job with), he always traveled, now he has ample opportunity to help. Kudos to Mr. Thompson, great move!