At least one of the junior ministers attached to the Office of the Prime Minister may be shifted to another ministry, People's Partnership officials projected yesterday. This followed the Prime Minister's announcement of more shifts to come following the relocation of MP Rudy Indarsingh, who was at Jack Warner's Works Ministry, to the Labour Ministry to assist Minister Errol McLeod. On the weekend, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said a "few more" such moves would take place among non-portfolioed ministers to "align competencies" and strengthen key ministries. She said none of the senior ministers "are expected "to be redeployed. Persad-Bissessar said "one or two non-portfolio ministers" may be placed at the Finance Ministry to assist Minister Winston Dookeran. People's Partnership officials projected that some of the changes may allow non-portfolioed members, who currently sit in Cabinet, to become part of that group.
The 37 members of the PP administration comprise 27 ministers plus ten junior members who do not sit in the Cabinet. The latter serve under line ministers in ministries, The ten non-portfolioed members are MPs Stacy Roopnarine (attached to sport), Ramona Ramdial (planning), Lincoln Douglas (Office of the Prime Minister), Rodger Samuel (OPM), Colin Partap (OPM), Clifton de Coteau (education), Rudy Indarsingh (labour) as well as PP members Nela Khan (culture), Jairam Seemungal (legal affairs) and Kevin Ramnarine (energy). Minister in National Security Subhas Panday, who supports Minister John Sandy, sits in Cabinet as he is a senior politician. People's Partnership officials project that non-Cabinet members of the Government who may be shifted to full Cabinet status may include Roopnarine, Partap, Ramnarine, Ramdial and Douglas, Roopnarine is an engineer while Ramnarine and Partap are lawyers. Since Persad-Bissessar's announcement, there has been speculation that Partap may be among those posted to the Finance Ministry. Sources said yesterday the Works Ministry which Indarsingh recently left, may likely get another junior minister.
They also tipped other key ministries, such as Health, Public Utilities and Housing, to receive junior ministers. They could not say if Attorney General Anand Ramlogan's Ministry would be receiving "assistance" like Dookeran's. The OPM is also still lacking a spokesman since Garvin Nicholas, now High Commissioner to India, vacated the post of press secretary in December. (GA)