President Irfaan Ali on Saturday evening administered the oath of office to 25 Ministers to serve in his new Government, mixing some old faces with some new and rearranging some placements.
Guyana’s Ambassador to Mexico, Zulfikar Ally is among the new faces in the Government, along with Attorney Keoma Griffith, former Parliamentary Secretary, Sarah Browne and retired Guyanese cricketer, Steven Jacobs.
Zulfikar Ally will serve as Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation, while Keoma Griffith takes on the role as Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning.
The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will now be led by Sarah Browne, while Steven Jacobs will serve as the Minister within the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture.
Former Parliamentary Secretary, Vickash Ramkissoon, has been appointed Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture.
Another new Ministerial face is former Vice Chairperson of the Industry/Plaisance Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Vanessa Benn, who has been elevated to the position of Minister within the Ministry of Housing, while former Ministerial Advisor on Agriculture, Mandalall Ramraj, will serve as the new Minister within the Ministry of Public Works.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall has kept his position along with Governance Minister Gail Teixeira, Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindya Persaud, Minister of Housing Collin Croal will continue to serve in that role as the water sector has been shifted from his Ministry while Juan Edghill will remain as Minister of Public Works, Zulficar Mustapha will continue as Minister of Agriculture, and Hugh Todd will continue his service as Foreign Affairs Minister.
Dr. Ashni Singh has been reappointed as Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Charles Ramson Jr. has held on to the position of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, as the Natural Resources Ministry will continue to be led by Vickram Bharrat and Kwame McCoy will continue his service as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Then there are the Ministers who have been handed new portfolios. Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand is the new Minister of Local Government, as former Local Government Minister Sonia Parag takes over the Education portfolio.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will now be headed by former Minister of Tourism, Oneidge Walrond, as Susan Rodrigues has been appointed as the new Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
Former Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, will now head the new Ministry of Aviation and Public Utilities as former Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, adjusts in the position of Minister within the Ministry of Local Government.
President Irfaan Ali told the new Ministers that the next five years are critical and those appointed must deliver.
“The next five years will be the most decisive years in our history and it must be years that are result driven, people centered and efficient delivery of service,” the President said as he put the new Cabinet on notice, warning the ministers that their performance would be assessed.
The President warned further that failure to deliver would result in “changes,” emphasizing that his new Government is about “results, people, efficiency, transparency and relentless hard work.”
“It is in that context that continuity, stability, agility and speed form the basis through which we move forward. And it is in this context that the Cabinet was crafted,” the President said.
He said his new Cabinet is a blend of new and experienced faces including women and youth.
Meanwhile, the President also announced that James Bond, Zamal Hussein, Peter Ramsaroop, Anand Persaud, Suresh Singh, Mahendra Budhram, Jennifer Westford, Sanjay Datadin, Alistair Charlie and Sonia Lachman are among the other Members of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party Civic, who will be joined by two parliamentary secretaries, Thandi McAllister and Mishka White Griffith.
President Ali said his Cabinet will receive tremendous support from a team of technical experts.
“We were fortunate to have a List of Candidates that possess highly skilled and technically competent individuals. We had many professionals, who chose to come on our List of Candidates and align themselves with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic agenda. And, these candidates will form the backbone of this government, their services, technical expertise, will be part of the driving force, it will be part of the human capital and human asset that will drive the transformation, the effectiveness, the efficiency of this Government. They all will be playing key and critical role at different levels, all equal in effort [and] all equal in service,” the President.
Those experts include, Dr Mahendra Carpen, who the President announced has been appointed Presidential Advisor on Science and Healthcare Modernization; Shyam Nokta, Presidential Advisor on Climate Change and Biodiversity; Ruel Johnson, Presidential Advisor in the One Guyana Commission; Robeson Benn, Advisor in the Ministries of Home Affairs and Natural Resources; and Joe Hamilton as Advisor in the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning.
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