Nineteen ministers were added to the administration of President Irfaan Ali yesterday and among them are some veterans who have served in previous PPP/C’s administrations and also quite a few new faces.
There were some notable omissions as well as surprise inclusions when the new individuals took their oaths of office at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday before a sizable crowd of their relatives and friends, PPP/C well-wishers, members of the diplomatic corps, and heads of the joint services, among others.
Veterans likes Clement Rohee, Indra Chandarpal, and Dr Jennifer Westford, who all served in previous PPP/C administrations as ministers, were not given positions and were noticeably absent from the event while those returning include Priya Manickchand, Robeson Benn, Bishop Juan Edghill, and Pauline Sukhai.
The crucial portfolio of Natural Resources will be headed by former teacher, Vickram Bharrat who served as a parliamentarian prior to his appointment.
PPP Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha was named Agriculture Minister, his first ministerial post even though he has also served in the National Assembly and was the General Secretary of the PPP/C at one time.
Pauline Sukhai returns to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, which she headed prior to the party’s 2015 defeat.
Another new face is that of Charles Ramson Jr, who was named Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport.
Former University of Guyana lecturer, Hugh Todd, was another new face to the administration and he was given the crucial portfolio Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Manickchand is once again the Minister of Education.
Dr Frank Anthony, who previously served as the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport in a PPP/C administration was sworn in as Minister of Health, while Robeson Benn, a former Minister of Public Works, now holds the important portfolio of Minister of Home Affairs.
Former permanent secretary and parliamentarian Collin Croal is the new Minister of Housing and Water, and he will be supported by another new face, Susan Rodrigues, who was sworn as minister within that ministry.
The portfolio of Human Services and Social Security was given to Dr Vindhya Persaud, a medical doctor and a former parliamentarian, while Joseph Hamilton, who left the PNC in recent years to join the PPP/C is the new Minister of Labour.
Nigel Dharamlall is the new Minister of Local Government while Channel 69 proprietor Anand Persaud is the Minister in the Ministry of Local Government.
Kwame McCoy was named as Minister in the Ministry of the Prime Minister and attorney-at-law Sonia Parag is now Minister of Public Service.
Bishop Juan Edghill has been named as the Minister of Public Works and former Chamber of Commerce head Deodat Indar as Minister in the Ministry of Public Works.
Attorney-at-law Oneidge Walrond has been named as the Minister of Tourism and Industry.
There was no announcement regarding the Finance portfolio and there is speculation that this will be entrusted to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
It was also not stated whether oil and gas is part of the natural resources portfolio.
Gail Teixeira was appointed as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs on Sunday as well as Anil Nandlall as Attorney General.
Plans
Todd, who holds a Masters in Political Science, told the Stabroek News that his plans for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be directed by the President’s plans adding that the party’s manifesto had listed international cooperation and foreign relations as very important for the new administration.
“So working on our foreign diplomacy, working on our economic co-operation will be vital…” the minister said.
Describing himself as an average Guyanese citizen, the new minister said he grew up in the home of educators and had previously served in the military and also in the private sector and academia. The ministerial portfolio is his “fourth career”.
“I have been all of my life here in Guyana so I think I have a lot more to serve this government. It’s a learning curve for me but I have a team at the ministry, there is a structure there already so I will rely on all of the good help I can get from the ministry and make sure we can satisfy the needs of the people of Guyana,” Minister Todd said.
The new Minister of the Public Service Sonia Parag said she would first have a meeting of her heads of departments to make it clear as to what she expects and also to find out the status of the ministry in terms of progress.
Parag grew up on the Essequibo Coast and gained a place at Queen’s College but instead attended President’s College after which she read for a law degree at the University of Guyana before moving to the Hugh Wooding Law School where he successfully completed the law programme to become an attorney-at-law.
She has been in private practice since 2007.
Politics is not new to her in the sense that her father, the late attorney-at-law, Hukumchand, was a member of the PNC, and she laughingly commented that politics may be hereditary for her. Her motivation to enter politics was the need to assist Guyanese in any way she can through service.
Croal told Stabroek News that based on the manifesto commitments made to the people of Guyana during the party’s campaigning days, he steps into his new position with the intention of expanding the housing sector and providing safer water for the country.
He stressed that the housing sector is a very important one for the PPP/C, adding that most importantly, before any work could begin, he would have to settle into his ministry and examine what was previously done so he could move on from there.
“The housing sector is a very important sector for our party. We are also going to ensure that as part of the spin- off, the infrastructure benefits too. We are committed to examine the cost of building material etc. In terms of our water, we did commit that we will ensure that we have safe water right across our country. And we will work towards it,” the new minister of Housing and Water assured.
Walrond, former Magistrate and advisor to former Minister of Public Telecommunications (MoPT), Cathy Hughes, was the corporate secretary of the telecommunications agency, and she now takes on the role of Minister of Tourism and Industry.
The new Minister described herself as a technocrat minister as she is not one into politics and expressed pleasure at being appointed to the position. She assured that she intends to engage with persons in the Ministry and the President to properly execute her job.
“My vision and desire has always been to serve the Guyanese people. Without attention or focus on race, creed, party affiliation. Just the desire to serve a nation and make a difference. I believe that is what I bring to the table and I believe that is my sole reason to want to be a part of a vision of a president who has declared that his desire is to see us move forward as a nation,” Walrond told this newspaper.
While her background centres on law, Walrond explained to Stabroek News that she intends to use her experience working with the MoPT to better develop her knowledge of the work ahead.
Walrond along with her husband Shaun Allicock were among the lawyers who had challenged the legality of the presidential term limit that barred former President Bharrat Jagdeo from running for a third term. She was also on the list of persons submitted by Jagdeo for the role of Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission.
New Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues said that she will be an accessible minister as she wants to assist all Guyanese. New to politics, Rodrigues, who has a law degree and also a Master’s in Business Administration, said she decided to enter politics after the last administration failed in its promises to Guyanese people. She believes her private sector experience, in the area of real estate, will be an asset to her new portfolio.
