A "shocked and surprised" Tobago Development Minister, Vernella Alleyne-Toppin, has been chosen to act as Prime Minister during Kamla Persad-Bissessar's absence from T&T next week.
Persad-Bissessar confirmed Alleyne-Toppin's acting appointment during yesterday post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's.
Persad-Bissessar leaves Port-of-Spain on Tuesday to attend the two-day Commonwealth Economic Partnerships Forum in London, which is being hosted by the Commonwealth Business Council. T&T is the chair of the Commonwealth. She returns on Thursday. Cabinet ministers, including Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner, Public Utilities Minister Emmanuel George, Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Minister, Fazal Karim, Housing and the Environment Minister, Dr Roodal Moonilal, Community Development Minister, Nizam Baksh, and Minister of the People and Social Development Minister, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, applauded Persad-Bissessar's announcement.
It was the first post=Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre by the People's Partnership Government since assuming office after the May 24 general election.
Alleyne-Toppin said she was pleased to be the first female Tobagonian to be appointed to act as Prime Minister of T&T.
She said she would do her best to serve the country. She said where her ability failed "I'm sure the Attorney General, the other ministers, all of my Cabinet colleagues, will hold my hands and take me through." She admitted to being "quite new" to politics in T&T. "It's really a surprise, a shock to me to be called to this office," she added. Persad-Bissessar, who was seated next to her, said she hoped it was a pleasant surprise.
She told Alleyne-Toppin to "hold the seat warm for me."
The Prime Minister said the minister was chosen because "she is competent and capable as all my MPs are."
Persad-Bissessar said she was of the view that an MP always should act as PM and not as a senator.
She said an elected MP would have the votes and the confidence of electors. Persad-Bissessar said Alleyne-Toppin was chosen because the Government was a partnership. On the three previous occasions she left T&T, United National Congress Chairman Jack Warner, Congress of the People political leader Winston Dookeran and Movement for Social Justice Errol McLeod acted as Prime Minister.
The PM said despite having the authority to select an acting PM on her own, she opted to discuss the matter with her Cabinet and the decision was taken yesterday. "It's a consensus decision," she added.