Many fresh faces including an 18-year-old is part of Mia Mottley’s new cabinet

Today, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made an announcement on trimmed Cabinet with some fresh faces and changes, including the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister and three other senior ministers.

Many fresh faces including an 18-year-old is part of Mia Mottley's new cabinet

Barbados: Today, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made an announcement on trimmed Cabinet with some fresh faces and changes, including the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister and three other senior ministers. At the same time, she is seeking legal guidance on two Senate positions offered to opposition parties that were unsuccessful in recent general elections.

She further proposed a constitutional amendment to pass 18-year-old Barbados Scholar Khalil Kothdiwala to serve in the Senate.

PM Mottley, in her statement, named Santia Bradshaw as her deputy, along with Attorney General Dale Marshal, Kerrie Symmonds and Dr Jerome Walcott as senior ministers in the new Cabinet.

She said the 20-members Cabinet, which has been reduced from 24 during her last term in office, would have great supervisory oversight.

She added that changes were required as Barbados was critical and had an ambitious political plan to deliver.

PM Mottley added that it was her dream to have Barbados to be seen as among the top nations in the world.

She said that she would keep back her portfolio as Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, along with the responsibility for Culture, Security, Public Service, CARICOM and the Development Commissions.

As a Deputy Prime Minister, Bradshaw will have corresponding responsibility for infrastructure as a senior minister. She will also serve as the Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources and Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, Marshall will assume the charge as the senior minister coordinating for governance in Cabinet; Walcott was retained as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade but was also named as a senior minister coordinating for all social and environmental policy. In contrast, alongside being a senior minister coordinating the productive sectors, Symmonds will take charge as Minister of Energy and Business Development.

Notably, former Transport Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill has been provided with the massive responsibility of the Minister of Health and Wellness. McConney and Davidson Ishmael, who has been elected as Member of Parliament for the first time, were also appointed to the Cabinet.

McConney has been given the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training. Whereas, Ishmael has been given the charge of the new Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology.

While announcing the new Cabinet, PM Mottley said, “everybody will feel that this Cabinet is smaller as compared to last two Cabinets and that it will have a great capacity to ensure that the Government’s policies are completely implemented.”

Meanwhile, freshers Rommel Springer and Corey Lane have been named as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources, and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elderly Affairs.

While, Shantal Munroe-Knight has been given a minister’s position in the Prime Minister’s Office. At the same time, Jonathan Reid will be the first-ever Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office.

PM Mottley further added that long-serving Member of Parliament for St Thomas, Cynthia Forde, had not been asked to hold any charge.

Earlier, she has served as Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs from 2018-2022.

PM Mottley further explained that the committee system in Parliament, involving the Joint Select Committee, will be expanded. she said the Government planned to increase Parliament’s engagement on matters related to national importance, national policy significance and in major pieces of legislation.”

At the same time, she added three new Committees had been added, including Economic Affairs Committee, which St Michael West MP Chris Gibbs will govern, along with a Committee on Social and Environmental Matters to be governed by St George North MP Toni Moore, and one on Governance which Christ Church South MP Ralph Thorne will chair.

While playing a historic move, the PM added she would seek a constitutional amendment to allow Kothdiwala to serve in the Senate.

While proposing his name among one of the 11 Senators, PM Mottley said, unfortunately, an 18-year old could vote but could not make it to serve in the Upper House.