The People's Cabinet by Tony Fraser
Port of Spain
The new cabinet gets down to business
Intent on implementing her post-election boast of an end to the prefixes of "Afro and Indo Trinis", Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has formulated a cabinet which could stand scrutiny in this plural society.
Notwithstanding the fact that the two major parties in the coalition accounted for above 60% of the seats in parliament, Mrs Persad-Bissessar allocated 13 ministries to persons of Indian descent, 10 to those of African origin and two ministries to members of European ancestry.
The two were assigned crucial positions in the cabinet, one, the elected Stephen Cadiz, who was given a "safe seat" in an Indian constituency and Mary King, an Irish-born Trinidadian who is married to a Trinidadian and has been living here for decades.
But even more significant is the fact that of the 10 Afro-Trinidadian ministers three have been appointed to the Senate, which means they had not contested the elections.
The ministries allocated to non-Indos are the vital portfolios of national security, justice, works and transport, trade and industry, labour, arts and culture, public utilities, health and tourism.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar brought balance to the five-party partnership with one ministry to the Tobago Organisation of the People, and four to the Congress of the People - despite the fact that Mrs Persad-Bissessar's United National Congress (UNC) gained 21 of the 29 seats won by the People's Partnership.
Obviously responding to the large support base given to her by the gender movement, Mrs Persad-Bissessar appointed five female cabinet ministers and four women among the team of junior ministers.
Those are considered encouraging numbers by the gender movement.
Significant among the cabinet appointments is new Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, at 37-years old, relatively young but with quite an amount of experience and success at the bar.
Heading the finance ministry is the experienced and regionally respected economist, former central bank governor, Winston Dookeran.
In such a position he must certainly be the favourite to act as prime minister in the incumbent's absence.
Mr Warner is the new Works and Transport Minister
Then the powerful and influential Austin Jack Warner named first on the list of ministers with the vital portfolio of Works and Transport.
Like in the instance of a previous UNC government, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has relied on a retired army Brigadier, John Sandy, to take charge of the Ministry of National Security.
The issue of crime
Interestingly there is now a three-ministry attack on the number one issue of crime.
In addition to national security there is now a Ministry of Justice, led by the controversial former high court judge, Herbert Volney, both working in tandem with the Attorney General.
The Government's success or failure will be based on the performance of these ministries to significantly reduce crime and to erode the blossoming criminal enterprise.
It is criminal activity which has placed the country under fear with 3,000 murders during the nine-year reign of the PNM.
With the critical and historical requirement for the diversification of the economy away from its almost total dependence on oil and gas to be achieved, well-known economist, Mary King has been given the job of planning minister.
It is an issue that she has written about for many years; now she will be challenged to "put her money where her mouth has been".
A similar challenge is posed to sports commentator and international swim coach, Anil Roberts, who previously shouted himself hoarse from his perch as talk show host.
Predictably, calypsonian Winston "Gypsy" Peters has been given the responsibility for arts and culture.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has followed the lead of her predecessor and not taken a ministry.
She however has two junior ministers in her office, and that is where she says the information portfolio will rest, having not named a minister of information.
While there is not going to be an extended and fun-filled honeymoon for the Prime Minister and her cabinet, there is much goodwill.
More so that she has sounded the right notes in her first overtures a week into office.
But she has warned her ministers of the "expectations" to be fulfilled after the many disappointments of the last regime.
