KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced the much-anticipated reshuffling of his cabinet.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Holness said that Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon has been appointed as a Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister to oversee skills and digital transformation.
Other changes include the appointment of Floyd Green as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining. He will get support from Minister of State Franklyn Witter.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security will now be led by Pearnel Charles Jr. He takes over from Karl Samuda whose resignation took effect today.
The Prime Minister also announced the creation of the new ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport to be headed by Daryl Vaz, with JC Hutchinson as State Minister.
Juliet Cuthbert Flynn has been appointed State Minister in the Ministry of National Security. She will serve alongside Dr. Horace Chang who retains his position as minister.
For the Education Ministry, Education minister Fayval Williams, will be joined by State Minister Marsha Smith.
Zavia Mayne is the new Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, joining Dr. Nigel Clarke.
Alando Terrelonge has been appointed State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, in the aftermath of protests following the recent announcement of a salary increase for all legislators, told reporters that he has given up his massive salary increase that would have seen his pay balloon to $28.6 million (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) in April 2024.
Instead, he will remain at his current salary of roughly $9 million and will not receive retroactive payments.
The Prime Minister, spent most of the time justifying the increases granted to legislators and gave a list of new measures to be implemented for parliamentarians, including a job description to be tabled in Parliament.
He added that special courses of training will also be designed for members of parliament as well as Senators and they will be required to complete a certain number of hours to become certified in the practice of parliamentary affairs, procedures and practices.
Other accountability measures will include the requirement for ministers to publish at the beginning of each financial year, starting 2024, the policy, administrative and legislative priorities along with targets and performance indicators that they intend to achieve during the fiscal year.
This will be in the form of a Ministry Paper after approval by the Prime Minister.
