Popular radio personality and Community College lecturer, Rochard Karim Ballah, was, on Tuesday, sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security, Legal Affairs, and Information.
Ballah, who wears dreadlocks and is commonly known as “Pitbull”, was appointed a government senator after last Thursday’s general elections, in which the Unity Labour Party (ULP) was returned to office for an historic fifth consecutive term.
The ULP won the poll 9 seats to the New Democratic Party’s six, having snatched the North Leeward seat by a single vote.
Ballah took the relevant oaths at a ceremony at Heritage Square, Kingstown, and is the only parliamentary secretary in the 12-member, all-male Cabinet, which also includes Attorney General, Jaundy Martin, a public servant.
Ballah is joined by three first-term parliamentary representatives including Carlos James, MP for North Leeward, and a lawyer who was declared the winner by one vote after a contentious, 17-hour recount that ended last Saturday.
James, a lawyer and former journalist, is a former senator and Speaker of House of Assembly during the last Parliament, which was dissolved on Oct. 9.
He has been assigned the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development, and Culture.
Curtis King, who is MP for West St. George, a former educator who retired as headmaster of the St. Vincent Grammar School, heads the Ministry of Education and National Reconciliation.
Orando Brewster, who secured a decisive victory in Central Leeward at his first outing at the polls,isMinister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Youth, Housing, and Informal Human Settlement.
Brewster, a preacher, holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine but abandoned his internship, choosing instead to pursue politics.
Also returning to the Cabinet for a fifth term is Julian Francis, who held the Transport, Works, and Local Government port folios for most of his 20 years as a senator.
However, this term, Francis, who is general secretary of the ULP, has been assigned the Ministry of Urban Development, Energy, Airports, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs, and Local Government.
The other members of the cabinet are as follows:
Ralph Gonsalves:
Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Security, Legal Affairs, and Information
Montgomery Daniel:
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transport, Works, Lands, and Physical Planning
Saboto Caesar:
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour
Frederick Stephenson:
Minister of the Public Service, Consumer Affairs, and Sports
Camillo Gonsalves:
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Information Technology
St. Clair “Jimmy” Prince:
Minister of Health, Wellness, the Environment
Carlos James:
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development, Culture
Curtis King:
Minister of Education and National Reconciliation
Orando Brewster:
Minister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender, Youth, Housing, and Informal Human Settlement
Senator Julian Francis:
Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Airports, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs, and Local Government
Stop swearing on the bible and then back to u all Ald tricks all u lucky God don’t deal with people like in the early day ,because plenty of u politicians would a dead
I feel it for sports, the national stadium Vincent beache and now further shame to the ministry it has stephenson
Congratulations to the new cabinet. They look good on paper. Their role as policy makers will be closely watched. Will the civil servants be allowed to do their jobs? Will the technocrats be allowed to function with their expertise? Will our laws be respected? Will integrity legislation be enacted within the 1st 100 days to keep our leaders in check? Will we respect the majority views? Will information flow and transparency prevail. Can we trust you to keep your promises?
Anthony Stewart, PhD
We all have to work hand in hand to make SVG a better place for our children and grandchildren future .we have to put aside ULP and NDP and try to get more jobs we depend to much on government the private sector needs to get involved as well , Then we will see SVG moving . Thanks for your time one love .
Margaret London: “Why is there a need for reconciliation? For those who don’t know, Margaret London is a so called political activist who represents the “Opposition”, New Democratic Party (NDP) in SVG, as a talk show host on radio . Miss London is asking thd above question in relation to a call for reconciliation, in the aftermath of the latest of SVG’s General Elections, which her party lost, in an “ill-tempered contest” between the two major political parties in the country – the other being the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
As l said, Miss London made the above statement in relation to a mooted idea that, due to the heated political environment in which the election campaign was conducted, the nation should not only recognize a period for reconciliation; but because reconciliation takes time, there should be a portfolio within a government ministry to take responsibility for matters related to the healing of the political scars and fractures that have been created within the campaign season.
Hence, l only found it necessary to share an example of the kinds of thoughts that we hear from certain Political Buffoons, who have the great privilege of constitutional freedom of speech in the country; and utilize it with great latitude here; yet, they lament everyday, spreading all sorts of lies and saying, that the Ralph Gonsalves administration in SVG is a dictatorship!
My 7 yrs nephew asked, aunty y do they call him that name, is it because he look like a pit bull ,? or do he behave like one? 3 I replied, maybe it’s just a play name.
Randolph perkins, it appears that you are doing quite well, are you a ULP house slave?