The appointment of the Cabinet is the Prime Minister's prerogative, Communications Minister Suruj Rambachan said on Monday, when asked about COP leader Prakash Ramadhar's comment that he wanted consultation on the Cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said she will call in ministers and state board members for performance appraisals and may reconfigure the Cabinet.
Ramadhar was unavailable to explain what he meant by his statement and whether he wants the PM to consult him before removing COP ministers. Rambachan noted the PM had already said she was going to do performance reviews and consult with ministers on their performance.
Political analyst Dr Hamid Ghany also said there was no requirement for the PM to consult with anyone before a Cabinet reshuffle. Ghany said the Cabinet was the PM's sole responsibility, since when things go wrong, people point fingers at the Cabinet's head.
Ghany said in the late prime minister Eric Williams' days, ministers weren't told when they would be shifted and sometimes found they had been moved from the next day's newspaper. Ghany said the political culture has changed to the point where there are now annual performance appraisals. "But it's still the Prime Minister's prerogative to make any changes, as she has to take responsibility for Government's shape," he added.
Former head of the Public Service Reginald Dumas said, "There's no requirement for the Prime Minister to consult. "However this isn't a one-party government. Mr Ramadhar has been strong on issues of consultation and disrespect, so his view probably must be seen in that context. "So while there's no necessity for the PM to consult on this, maybe out of courtesy she may wish to."