Prime Minister Mia Mottley Changes Cabinet

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The Government has determined that it is necessary that we take fresh guard. The Parliament of Barbados will be prorogued on the 8th of August, 2020, with us resuming in a new session on the 15th of September with a new Throne Speech and with a new direction as to where we must go in order to meet these extraordinarily different circumstances from the original Throne Speech of two years ago – Prime Minister Mottley

Two years into assuming the government of Barbados Prime Minister Mottley tweaked her Cabinet by making changes to her team. The standout changes – Lisa Cummins  and Ian Gooding-Edghill take over at Tourism and Transport respectively. Removed from the Cabinet are George Payne, Trevor Prescod, Lucille Moe, Neil Rowe and Edmund Hinkson.

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Here is the new Cabinet:

    • Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley – Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment
    • Dale Marshall – Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, with responsibility for the Police
    • Santia Bradshaw – Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training
    • Senator Dr. Jerome Walcott – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
    • Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic – Minister of Health and Wellness
    • Dr. William Duguid – Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance
    • Ronald Toppin –  Minister of Industry and International Business
    • Kerrie Symmonds – Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship
    • Cynthia Forde – Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs
    • Senator Lisa Cummins – Minister of Tourism and International Transport
    • Ian Gooding-Edghill – Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources
    • Adrian Forde – Minister of the Environment and National Beautification
    • Wilfred Abrahams – Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs
    • Ryan Straughn – Minister in the Ministry of Finance
    • Marsha Caddle – Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment
    • Sandra Husbands – Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade
    • Colin Jordan – Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations
    • Charles Griffith – Minister in the Ministry of Water Resources
    • Dwight Sutherland – Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment
    • Kirk Humphrey – Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy
    • Indar Weir – Minister of Agriculture and Food Security
    • Peter Phillips – Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
    • John King – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture and Rural Development Commission and eventually the National Development Commission
    • Senator Dr. Romel Springer – Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training
    • Senator Kay McConney – Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology

 

Related Link:

GIS Release – Prime Minister Makes Changes To Cabinet

154 thoughts on “Prime Minister Mia Mottley Changes Cabinet”


  1. What stupidity. Is this the limit of our reasoning as a people? Is it a Barbadian neurological condition or just a BU one? Or is it meant to be funny?

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  2. @David
    As I said it’s a revolutionary thought, but if one questions Prescod’s removal why not question e.g. Payne’s removal.

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  3. @David

    BTW didn’t I hear Mottley say that she has been observing (or words to that effect) the Ministers for the past two years? We criticized Freundel repeatedly for “standing pat”, now there is a PM who is prepared to make moves and some people aren’t happy.

    Lest I be accused of being a Mottley fan I believe my previous posts speak for themselves but PM’s should be able to structure their Cabinets the way that they are comfortable with, the people will speak to the effectiveness of that approach.

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    • @Sargeant

      We have to speculate her motives for dropping and moving ministers and the parliamentary secretary. This blogmaster is of the view Payne has gotten long in the tooth besides and represent a period Mottley would soon forget. Prescods shelf life has expired. John King is being carried and Sutherland is being given another chance to make a mark in a ministry less demanding. Not sure about Hinkson, his maybe a case of inappropriate conduct.


  4. Mariposa,

    Really. Bridgetown was ailing and shops shutting for a few years now.

    Sheraton and Warrens have killed it.

    That is why there is an effort to turn Bridgetown into a tourist belt. To recreate life from deadzone.

    You must have been sleeping, if you have not seen the long Nd anguished death of Btown.

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  5. Is the much touted “politics of inclusion” any more altruistic than other methods of political approach?

    Is it empowering by inclusion or emasculating?

    To know whether actions will be successful, one should read the tea leaves.

    The tea leaves tell me that one needs to be very careful in ensuring a future for all.

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  6. David,

    For sure worrying. Harrisons was part of Cave Shepherd and I confess without exaggeration, that when I passed it mid last year, 2019, being boarded up and closed, I felt tears spring to my eyes.

    I knew that here were the last throes of a dying city. What our forebears walked and we knew was gone, for good.

    Covid has accelerated the inevitable.

    Let us hope that the rebirth is something worthwhile.

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  7. The City of Bridgetown has been a slum since the emancipation, when former slaves left the plantations and headed for town. The decay of Broad Street did not start yesterday, yet not a single government since 1966 has put in place a policy to rejuvenate the City and its environs.
    It is the major failing of this government, the ten years of Stuart and before that, the 14 years of Arthur.

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  8. Crusoe have u ever heard of a place called So. Beach Fla i implore u to read about its death during the 70 ‘s until some one had a vision to breath new life into that area
    The problem with bridgetown who life have been placed into incompetent and vision less govts
    Bridgetown can be restored with a govt that has the vision to merge tourism and small business into an economic hub
    With govt giving a helping hand to create a similar growth market as So.beach. with mostly local business and cultural resources and a definte upgrade of modern style restaurants captured with a historical theme
    However the problem lies with govt who have decided that to rebuild bridgetown would involve creating economic space for the small business man to flourish
    Hence to hell with bridgetown and rather take the spoils further inward for cream of the economic crop to feast thereof while the small business man peril in economic starvation
    Oh btw bay street a place where the small black business man once flourished was handed the same death certificate

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  9. Saw this on FB and I am here googling like mad. Unable to find the story

    “The same way we find $16.5M to buy buses to sit down idle for months BECAUSE NO ONE CONSIDERED THAT AN ELECTRIC BUS WOULD NEED A FECKING CHARGING PORT…”

    Perhaps, someone could send me the information for the ports.. I buy a few and Fedex.. and the two of us make a killing..
    Wait a minute… Perhaps I should buy “batteries” as well.

    Wunnah like to pat yourselves on the back.

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  10. Lol. They got bout 10 charging ports that could probably charge 4 buses at a time because no one considered hummuch room a bus would need so they built them close together like they were for charging laptops or mobile phones. I cannot.

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  11. Wuhlaus! Mariposa mekking sense. Good ideas! Bay Street used to be a treasure.

    That is twice recently. The first was the COVID alarm except that our government did better than she expected.

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  12. @David

    Nice to see the E buses being fueled up so to speak. it is about time we embrace fully EVs in Bim. the delay is a worry. lots of cheap EVs out there and more are coming. what we need are more charging stations. i suspect that is the problem.

    i have downpaid on a basic Tesla cyber truck. i have even outfitted my house with charging plugs in the garage and car port and have installed solar energy with hopefully 2 Tesla batteries to come.

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  13. i know there was a worry that E buses may not be able to get up Horse Hill. but that went away went a school mate of mine retro fitted an old one with batteries and it performed admirably. i think these ones are big for Bim roads and may hit some electrical wires in some areas but i dont know whether that is the issue

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  14. CANADA 4-5 hours
    How long does it take to charge the bus? Charge time is a factor of battery size and charging capability. Current buses can charge at the garage at between 50 and 100kW. This is fast enough to ensure that buses can be charged in 4-5 hours.

    BARBADOS 4 to 5 MONTHS…lol

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    • @Hants

      The impression circulating that there are only four charging stations is incorrect. At on depot there are a minimum of about 8 installed.


  15. The buses do not have to be put on the road simultaneously.

    Maybe they are waiting to create a photo op for a minister and a minister of.

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  17. @ David

    The above referenced Facebook post is rubbish from someone who is prepared to give an opinion without knowing all the relevant facts and then ‘pat themselves on the back’ for talking shiite.

    Obviously, the new units will have to go through a ‘preparation stage’ before they’re place in service. This includes preparing them for inspection, weight certificates, insuring and licensing; installing fare boxes; as well as training and familiarizing drivers, duty drivers, electricians and mechanics with operating them. So, it will take a few weeks before all are in service.

    Shiite, if we had to wait 14 years since TB last purchased buses in 2006, yuh mean we can’t wait a few weeks before the newly acquired ones are on the road?

    The charging stations at Weymouth Headquarters are adequate enough to charge the units. Most likely, more charging stations will be installed at Weymouth, Speightstown and Mangrove Depots.

    I saw one of the new BYD K9 electric buses yesterday, on the ‘by-pass’ route (Speightstown <> Oistins/Airport).

    Is it because the buses are electrically powered people believed they won’t be able to ‘pull’ Horse Hill? That is nonsense.
    And, the buses are not as large as the Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo Torino units or as tall as the Leyland DAF Utic, so there shouldn’t be any problems on the roads or with power lines.

    I believe it is a step in the right direction for TB not to put all the new units on the road at the same time. In the past, TB would retire old units immediately after purchasing new ones…… all of which they would license, insure and place in service at the same time. Then they would have take all of them off the road, at the same time, for maintenance and repairs in preparation for inspection. This would obviously affect the reliability of service.

    Soon, TB is also about to sell off the old scrapped buses at Mangrove Depot.

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  18. PRESCOD’S SAY

    MP declares he has done nothing wrong

    Controversial St Michael East MP Trevor Prescod, dropped in the recent Cabinet reshuiffle and subject of negative rumours on social media, says he has done nothing wrong to deserve the treatment being meted out to him.

    “Trevor Prescod never steal a toffee from the state. Do you believe that I look so outdated that I cannot contribute to the development of Barbados when I see men and women much younger than me that cannot get up those stairs serving at the highest level?”

    He was speaking during yesterday’s Emancipation celebrations at the Emancipation Statue, commonly known as Bussa, at the J.T.C Ramsay Roundabout.

    Prescod, the former Minister of Environment and National Beautification, along with three other ministers and a parliamentary secretary were relieved of their portfolios by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley on July 22.

    ‘No knee-jerk plans’ “I am not going to make any kneejerk plans; I stand firm. I am not going to get led into a trap by any journalist anywhere. I am not going to be led into a trap by any politician anywhere. The only body who knows what I am thinking is me,” he declared.

    Referring to some of the rumours circulating on social media, Prescod said there were those who were saying he had posted on Facebook he wanted to commit suicide.

    “I believe you heard in recent times that Trevor Prescod is ill, that Trevor Prescod is old . . . [but] I am conscious of who I am. No man, no woman will make me forget who I am. And I want to give you the assurance I will never forsake thee,” he said.

    “You believe that man, who they now saying is dead, who they now saying I am posting things on Facebook,if I could live forever to do the work that allows my people to be recognised as equals in society and everywhere where black people live, I will live forever. But I can only survive with you, the people who stood with me before, and I ask you to stay with me now. Wherever I go, BLP, DLP, I will always be the servant of the people of Barbados.”

    Prescod also had a message for those who felt he would now be silenced having been removed from a ministry.

    “ . . . . I am no racist. I know what justice is, I know what fairness is, I know what loyalty is, I know what commitment is.

    “I have a lot to tell you, but I am not going to tell you all now. It is not the time. I only came out this morning because I had no choice. I did not want the interpretations to go around that I am in such a state of despondency that I can’t even get out of my bed, and I am turning senile and I am concentrating on committing suicide,” he added.

    Addressing John King, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, who was criticised for opposing the removal of Lord Nelson’s Statue fromNational Hero’s Square, but insisted he only disagreed with it being discarded, Prescod told him he was in the forefront of shaping a national consciousness.

    “You have a responsibility to these people, but they try to drive a wedge. Even at that stage when I recognised the environment at the time, I said ‘forgive John’. They turned that around. If I have a view about something that you do, I owe it to you to say I don’t like what you have done, and I will give you a justification for the position I take,” he told King, who was at the event.(RA)

    Source: Nation

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  19. Reshuffle ‘no big thing’ for overseas Bajans

    By Tony Best

    The recent Cabinet reshuffle, the first by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, is not triggering any major ripples in the Bajan diaspora in Canada and the United States.

    The shake-up is being taken in stride by Bajans, who say they understand the need for changes in the administration.

    And while most feel they were left in the dark by the absence of explanations for Mottley’s moves, a cross section of Bajans in New York, Georgia, Montreal, California, Alberta and Virginia told the Sunday Sunthe dropping of ministers, the elevation of backbenchers to ministerial portfolios, and the shifting of some ministers to different portfolios were not causing them to have sleepless nights about the economy’s management, the running of the nation’s education and health care systems in the COVID-19 era or the need for more housing for the poor.

    “The coronavirus is going to have a negative impact on the Barbados economy and I think there was a need to shake up things a little bit and to bring in some fresh blood” into the Cabinet, said Dr Andy Knight, professor of international relations at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

    “The Prime Minister has some individuals who can serve and should be given a chance to demonstrate their talent and that they can handle some of the challenges” Barbados faces, Knight said.

    Dr Myrna Lashley, a psychology professor at Canada’s prestigious McGill University in Montreal, said: “Reshuffles are a normal thing in Canada and should be expected in places with governmental systems similar to Canada’s, say, like Barbados,” she said. “It is not a big deal.”

    Peter Clarke, a retired IBM executive in New York, said the reshuffle didn’t take him by surprise.

    “The recent Cabinet reshuffle in Barbados should not come as a surprise,” he said. “Any effective leader will reassess, tweak and reinvigorate their organisations. This happens in all organisations, be they governmental, business, industry or the public sector. They must find an avenue to foster new thoughts, new processes and efficiencies. As long as there is a progressive government, there will be tweaks to accommodate societal shifts. Progression is the goal. An effective leader is in tune with the critical needs of society, thus reflecting paradigm shifts.”

    Applaud her

    The Barbados Government is not any different.

    “Prime Minister Mottley recognises these needs and has acted accordingly. I applaud her on this action,” said Clarke.

    An Episcopal/Anglican priest in Atlanta, the Reverend Richard Winston Arthur, who is also an attorney admitted to practise law in Barbados, applauded Mottley for being decisive in order to achieve her government’s goals.

    “The mandate which the Prime Minister and her original Cabinet were given by the electorate would havechanged from May 2018 to July 2020,” said Arthur, rector of St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Georgia’s Stone Mountain. “The needs and the list of priorities since the last election would have changed because of world events and different economic situations.”

    One such event was the COVID-19 health crisis.

    Arthur said it was clear that after two years in office, the Mottley Administration “had to be seen to be doing something different from what it was doing before” and the reshuffle must have been triggered by the fallout from COVID-19.

    As in the case of several Bajans, Arthur said he didn’t have all of the information and “rationale” for the PM’s move, but was convinced Mottley and her ministers had concluded “there were certain areas which needed to be strengthened” and any prudent leader would engage in selfintrospection. Hence the reshuffle.

    “It just shows the level of foresight, intelligence and adaptive leadership that is being shown and which was clearly absent in the last administration,” he added. “In the last administration there should have been a reshuffle, a re-energising of portfolios and some people (ministers) should have been removed. We saw the results of that. My hat is off to the Prime Minister.”

    ‘Meeting of minds’

    When it came to the ministers who were dropped fromthe Cabinet, Arthur speculated that Mottley and the affected ministers might have had

    a “meeting of the minds” about the changes.

    “We, as the public, don’t have all the facts and we only know the end result,” he said. “We don’t know what motivated the decisions. They could have been a myriad of reasons, including the fact that some of the ministers involved were older politicians and they would no longer run for their (parliamentary) seats and give someone else an opportunity.”

    In Virginia, Shirley Morris, a real estate consultant, said a reshuffle after two years was a “good thing”.

    “It is always good to change ministers and opportunities. People tend to perform better when they get into new arenas,” she said. “It augurs well for the overall performance of the party and the Government.”

    Source: Nation

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  20. Member of Parliament Trevor Prescod, who was removed from his post as Minister of Environment and National Beautification when Prime Minister Mia Mottley shuffled her Cabinet last week, is declaring that he has done nothing wrong in the country to deserve the treatment he said he has endured.
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    For those who were waiting to hear Prescod speak

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/08/01/trevor-prescod-i-have-done-nothing-wrong/

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  21. @David
    What did he say?
    +++++++++++
    “Do you believe that I look so outdated that I cannot contribute to the development of Barbados? And I see men much younger and women much younger than me that can’t get up those stairs, serving at the highest level. I have a lot to tell you, but I am not going to tell you all now.
    +++++
    Essentially nothing, although he is teasing us with the last sentence so we will have to wait.

    Is there some right to be a Minister that once bestowed can never be revoked? I’m not sure it’s the same but when Lowe was sick Kellman was appointed “temporarily” to replace him, when Lowe recovered Kellman stayed on in some Ministry cobbled together as if Stuart had to placate him.

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    • @Sargeant

      Prescod should be reminded he served at the whim of the PM. It is noted there is a big falloff in the salaries of a minister and MP.


  22. The kind of answers where people have nothing to say but feel they must say something good. I issue my statement at the bottom.

    “The coronavirus is going to have a negative impact on the Barbados economy and I think there was a need to shake up things a little bit and to bring in some fresh blood” into the Cabinet”

    “Any effective leader will reassess, tweak and reinvigorate their organisations. This happens in all organisations, be they governmental, business, industry or the public sector. They must find an avenue to foster new thoughts, new processes and efficiencies. As long as there is a progressive government, there will be tweaks to accommodate societal shifts. Progression is the goal. An effective leader is in tune with the critical needs of society, thus reflecting paradigm shifts.””

    “It is always good to change ministers and opportunities. People tend to perform better when they get into new arenas,” she said. “It augurs well for the overall performance of the party and the Government.”

    TheOGazerts Statement on the changes
    These changes will bring about changes in how we do business. As we move forward, we should not look backwards. New players mean new ideas; in fact, we can say we have a new ball and a new game. Great strategic move by Mia as she has energized more strategic partners. She has move from “many hands make light work” to “fewer hands work more effectively. We will refocus, re-strategize, re-brand, release and renew our efforts.

    Questions: Do you all think I am ready for one of these ministries

    Reply ↓

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