7 News Belize

Portfolio Promotions For Two Unelected Senators; Does PM Barrow Distrust His Elected Cabinet Members?
posted (August 1, 2016)
And so while Saldivar will continue to remain under scrutiny, so will the Prime Minister - and some of that scrutiny will come from within his own cabinet. He's once again taken an unelected person, soon to be sworn in Senator Vanessa Retreage and put her in charge of the Ministry of Natural Resources - which is the most politically powerful ministry. So why did he pass over his senior elected representatives when he moved Godwin Hulse over to the police department. Is it that they can't be trusted? That's what we asked the Prime Minister today:...

Jules Vasquez
"We now see unelected persons having two large powerful resourceful important ministries, whereas the elected representatives seemed to have been left by the wayside or overlooked when this very important department was there to be reassigned."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I am the Prime Minister. I say this again not in any immodest way, but stating a fact - I have the privilege and the authority to make the decisions in terms of appointments and I stand by the appointments I have reported today that I am making. The cabinet was as you know convene at this special session this morning and I indicated what my decision was and there was not one dissenting voice and it is my belief that if people were dissatisfied they would have said so. I can tell you majority of them are here not the slightest hint of any upset with my decision in so far as Senator Hulse and the Hon. Attorney General are concern."

Vanessa Retreage who was named Attorney General after the UDP won in 2015, now has to be made into a Senator in order to become the Minister of Natural Resources - which means that one of the existing UDP Senators has to move over. This afternoon, the PM said he hadn't decided who it would be.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize