NEW CABINET NAMED BY PM...
Prime Minister, Said Musa, has named a new cabinet. This was done last night in his address to the nation. The naming of the new cabinet came after 7 government ministers tendered their resignation this past Monday. Here now is the new cabinet listing, read by PM Musa:
Said Musa, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Finance and the Public Service; John Briceno, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; Vildo Marin, Minister of Health and Environment: Ralph Fonseca, Minister of Home Affair and Investment: Assad Shoman, Minister of National Development: Mark Espat, Minister of Tourism, Culture Enterprise; Francis Fonseca, Attorney General and Minister of Education Youth and Sport, Godfrey Smith, Minister of Foreign Affair and National Emergency management organization; Jose Coye, Minister of Works and Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; Cordel Hyde, Minister of Housing and Transport; Marcial Mes, Minister of Local Government and Labour; Servilio Baezar, Minister of Agriculture; Silvia Flores, Minister of Human Development; Eamon Courtney, Minister of Foreign Trade; Mike Espat, Minister of Fisheries Cooperative Commerce and Industry; Ainslie Leslie, Minister of Energy an!
d Communication. The new State of State are Dave Burgos, Minister of State in the Ministry of works; Ishmael Cal, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture; Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of State in the Ministry of National Development.
In his address, Prime Minister Musa said government recognizes and appreciates the need for good governance, as well as for broader consultation, accountability and full transparency in the management and oversight of the work of the government, particularly in regard to the adoption and implementation of fiscal and monetary policies. He said:
We will do that which is required to maintain full confidence in Social Security fund and Public Finances. We have heard and heed the call of our social partners, who are willing to work with us on an agenda of action, in our growing economy and create a more just society. On August 12, I was calling to the nation a 9 point plan which I am committed to achieving before the end of fiscal year 2004-2005, on March 31, 2005. Only six months my government will work with our main focus and a sense of urgency to restore any erosion of Public trust which may have resulted from the event of the last two weeks, I will hold public consultation with the Belizean people in each district in the weeks and months ahead and continue the dialogue with social and economics partners at home and abroad. In recognition of the critical importance of the challenges that our nation must face I will assume full responsibility for the Ministry of Finance, as a pledge of my personal commitment to meet !
and deal with them effectively. Mr. Ralph Fonseca will be functionally responsible to pursue the bond issue with the authority of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
Immediately after his address, Leader of the Opposition, Dean Barrow, was on Channel 5 where he responded to the statement. He said:
Its top heavy as you notice the number has increased it don't make sense people are full minister in one area and Minister of State in another. While the Prime Minister is trying to put his best foot forward I think the figuration of the new cabinet, the increase in size and the awkwardness and artificiality of the portfolio distribution, all these things show that he has not succeeded as while this cut and paste job is designed to give him some breathing space it is not a cabinet of unity, it is not a cabinet of cohesion, it is not a cabinet that can be effective.
Love news reporter Marion Ali asked:
Mr. Barrow let me ask you had you been in the Prime Minister opposition what would you have done?
Barrow responded:
I have said publicly and I repeat it, when people buck the authority of the office of the Prime Minister like that and that is a authority that is constitutional protected, the Prime Minister, need to find them, he need to be decisive, if of course he conceded that these people were right then he should have done the other thing and fire the Minister of finance. He has done neither so he shows himself to be weak and vacillating. He's arrived at this crunch tape and glue solution which satisfy neither side and which is a recipe for disaster in the very near future.
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UDP LEADER DISAGREES WITH NEW CABINET...
For Opposition Leader, Dean Barrow, the Prime
Minister's re-assignment of portfolios does not
accomplish real change. He said:
Its top heavy as you notice the number has increased it don't make sense people are full minister in one area and Minister of State in another. While the Prime Minister is trying to put his best foot forward I think the figuration of the new cabinet, the increase in size and the awkwardness and artificiality of the portfolio distribution, all these things show that he has not succeeded as while this cut and paste job is designed to give him some breathing space it is not a cabinet of unity, it is not a cabinet of cohesion, it is not a cabinet that can be effective.
Barrow says the U-D-P intends to stick to their
plan of having a demonstration later this month.
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