Prime Minister Persad Bissessar Unveils New Cabinet

Prime Minister Persad Bissessar addressing the ceremony after her new cabinet had been sworn into office

Introduction of the New Cabinet

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar Saturday unveiled a 24-member cabinet emphasizing security and energy and announcing plans to revoke the Revenue Authority Act that led to the establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA), a semi-autonomous institution responsible for revenue collection and enforcement, trade facilitation, and border control.

The former government had said that the TTRA would be a fusion of the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) and the Customs & Excise Division (CED) and would benefit from the synergies, cost efficiencies, and data pooling of a single revenue-collecting authority.

The TTRA Controversy

The TTRA had been the subject of an appeal before the London-based Privy Council after the Court of Appeal dismissed the Public Services Association’s (PSA) challenge to the constitutionality of the TTRA Act. The Public Service Association (PSA), through its member Terisa Dhoray, had argued that the Act was unconstitutional, but both the High Court and the Court of Appeal disagreed.

The state defended the TTRA’s constitutionality before the Privy Council, the country’s highest and final court.

Security and Energy Priorities

The United National Congress (UNC) )-led coalition made security a major issue during the April 28 general election campaign, and Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, in the name of her cabinet, underscored that position.

Unlike the previous administration, where there had been a ministry of national security, Prime Minister Persad Bissessar named a Minister of Defence in Attorney Wayne Sturge, a Minister of Justice in Davesh Maharaj, and a Minister of Homeland Security in Roger Alexander, who resigned as a senior superintendent of police, who was last assigned to the Anti-Extortion Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).

Ministerial Appointments

Saddam Hosein has been named Minister of Legal Affairs. The Minister of Tourism was not sworn in as that person is reported out of the country.

Prime Minister Persad Bissessar said that one of her Attorney General, John Jeremie’s main priorities will be to set the legislative agenda as soon as possible.

“My Attorney General will be given instructions as well to work with the Cabinet to put in place as fast as we can stand your ground laws, home invasion laws, and the regulations that we would need to grant firearms to law-abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Economic Plans

She said many other pieces of legislation, described as “low-hanging fruits,” would not require a lot of money. But we really want to implement these things, and my Minister of Finance (Davendranath Tancoo) has been mandated to do so. We need to find out what the state of the Treasury is before we can run off to do…

“I can only know that by Monday, my Minister of Finance and my Minister of Planning will put their heads together and let us see what we can do. Then, my Minister of Trade and all the other ministries will work towards getting revenue streams into the country.

‘We have to find money, we have to make money…and in this regard, we must never forget our sister island, Tobago. She added that Tobago has tremendous resources, and we will work with the THA (Tobago House of Assembly).

Energy Sector

However, Persad Bissessar hinted that her administration, unlike the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) governments, would not emphasize the Dragon Field project with Venezuela much.

Earlier this month, the United States government revoked the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) license granted to Trinidad and Tobago to allow Shell, the National Gas Company (NGC), and contractors to explore, produce, and export natural gas from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas Field.

The license was valid until October 31, 2025, and enabled Trinidad and Tobago to pay for gas in various currencies and through humanitarian measures. On December 21, 2023, Trinidad and Tobago also secured a 30-year exploration and production license from the government of Venezuela for the Dragon gas field.

New Energy Initiatives

But Persad Bissessar told the ceremony where the ministers took their oath before President Christine Kangaloo that the newly appointed Minister of Energy and Energy Industrial, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, has been “mandated, instructed “to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago benefits from the energy sector one of the oldest in the hemisphere “which we could use to market to our CARICOM neighbor and of course further afield.

“My Minister of Energy has been mandated from day one. Let us explore Guyana’s offer to bring gas to Trinidad and Tobago. Let us also explore what we can do with Suriname…which is also energy-producing. Again, we can partner with them.

“But I have a surprise for you. I intend to send my Minister of Energy to Grenada because I have been told that Grenada offshore has more gas and oil than Dragon Field. Shall we explore that,” she asked to loud applause from the audience.

Cabinet Members

The following is the list of ministers in the new Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago.

Kamla Persad Bissessar-Prime Minister

John Jeremie – Attorney General

Ravi Rattiram – Minister of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries

Devesh Maharaj – Minister of Justice, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General

Michelle Benjamin – Minister of Culture & Community Development

Wayne Sturge – Minister of Defense

Dr. Michael Dowlath – Minister of Education

Dr. Roodal Moonilal – Minister of Energy and Energy Industries

Davendranath Tancoo – Minister of Finance

Sean Sobers – Minister of Caricom & Foreign Affairs

Lackram Bodoe – Minister of Health

Richard Seecharam – Minister in the Ministry of Health

Roger Alexander – Minister of Homeland Security

Dr. David Lee – Minister of Housing

Leroy Baptiste – Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development

Saddam Hosein – Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries

Barry Phadarath – Minster in the Office of the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Utilities

Vandana Mohit – Minister of the People, Social Development & Family Services

Kennedy Swaratsingh – Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs & Development

Dominic Smith – Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence

Khadijah Ameen – Minister of Rural Development & Local Government

Phillip Watts – Minister of Sport & Youth Affairs

Prakash Persad – Minister of Tertiary Education & Skills Training

Eli Zakour – Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation

Jerlean John – Minister of Works & Infrastructure

Colin Gosine -Minister of Trade and Investment

Conclusion

Prime Minister Persad Bissessar looks forward to working with her new cabinet to address the country’s security and energy concerns, as well as to implement new economic initiatives. The cabinet members are expected to work together to achieve the government’s goals and to benefit the people of Trinidad and Tobago.