Thursday, July 7, 2011

Cabinet Reshuffle: Waiting and Watching- My column 5th July 2011

Having lit up the sky with a few bright spots from an otherwise dull cabinet reshuffle, the challenges are more obvious. After a series of financial and management experts as the Corporation Sole, a neophyte takes the job and embarks upon a steep climb. Brand new ministers take up major line responsibilities for Petrotrin, National Gas Co, T&TEC, Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT): are they too brand-new? And UWI economist Dr Patrick Watson, once touted as a Minister in the Ministry of Finance and potential Corporation Sole, exits the Parliament, most likely temporarily. How big is the loss?
The fixing of state enterprises has to happen against that backdrop. The challenge rests on the shoulders of a new Corporation Sole. And to do that the office of Corporation Sole must itself be fixed. Together with this new Corporation Sole, the new Minister of Public Administration and other new ministers will also have significant roles; can they deliver?

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