Browne names new Cabinet
ST JOHN’S (CMC):
PRIME MINISTER Gaston Browne on Friday unveiled an eight-member Cabinet that was sworn into office following Wednesday’s nail-biting general election that resulted in his ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) being returned to office for a third consecutive occasion but with a drastically reduced majority.
“I am not a fan of bringing individuals through the Senate to serve as ministers. I believe it is important to pay attention to the quality of the candidates who the people elect and who could also serve as ministers,” Browne told reporters at the swearing-in ceremony.
The ABLP won the general election by a nine-eight margin, down from the comfortable 15-two majority it had enjoyed in the last parliament.
Apart from the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) winning six seats – five more than it previously had – another successful candidate was Asot Michael, a former government minister who fell out with Browne and was prevented from contesting the St Peter constituency on a ticket of the ruling party. Michael, who had been the parliamentary representative for the area over the past four general elections, won the seat as an independent candidate.
Browne told reporters that the government ministers who lost their seats in the general election, their portfolios have been consolidated among the eight new cabinet members, with the veteran, Sir Robin Yearwood, agreeing to serve as a government backbencher. He had held the position of senior minister in the last administration.
“What we tried to do is to ensure that there were synergies within the respective consolidation that took place. For example, housing and works, the obvious synergy is there, even agriculture and trade.
“So I think we have achieved that and I am confident that, even though the team is smaller, that we will have a far more responsive team and the people of Antigua and Barbuda, in essence, will get from less,” he said.
Browne said that the government’s agenda going forward will also be informed by the results of the general election, particularly in the area of the delivery of water.
“We have made investments and we are pretty confident that, within the coming months after we have installed the additional plant, … the people of Antigua and Barbuda will see, let’s say, a substantial improvement in the delivery of water.
‘We thank them for their patience because it is the kind of issue that would have caused us to lose elections and we recognise that some people may have voted against us because of a number of issues that we just could not solve, primarily because of the residual effects of COVID, the escalation in food prices, fuel prices ….”