Prime Minister Tells Cabinet Members that they are Servants of the People

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has charged the 14 members of the new Cabinet, to remain cognisant of the fact that they were public servants, who were acting in the interest of the Jamaican public.
“Remember, the power that we have is to be exercised on behalf and in the interest of the people. It is not a power for ourselves to be used for our own glory and advancement,” she advised them. The Prime Minister was speaking today (March 31), at the swearing-in of members of the new Cabinet. The ceremony was held at King’s House.
She told the Cabinet members that the Jamaican public expected its Ministers, “to work and to show results, not to talk and find excuses”.
“This must be an action Cabinet, for I intend to lead an action team,” Mrs. Simpson Miller emphasised.
The Cabinet members are: Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Housing, Transport and Works; Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning;Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security and Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives; Maxine Henry-Wilson, Minister of Education and Youth; Roger Clarke, Minister of Agriculture and Land; Senator A.J. Nicholson, Attorney General, Minister of Justice and Leader of Government Business in the Senate; Dean Peart, Minister of Local Government and Environment; Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology (with Energy); Senator Anthony Hylton, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture; Horace Dalley, Minister of Health; Derrick Kellier, Minister of Labour and Social Security; and Senator Colin Campbell, Minister of Information and Development.
The ceremony was presided over by Governor General, His Excellency the Most Honourable Professor Kenneth Hall.
Mrs. Simpson Miller told the Minister that, “there are urgent things that we have to work on and important initiatives started by the last Cabinet, which we must complete in good time”.
“I have confidence in this Cabinet. Every member of this team commands my confidence,” the Prime Minister said.
In his address, the Governor-General congratulated the Ministers on their appointment by the new Prime Minister, and encouraged them to tackle the challenges facing the nation.
“We cannot easily ignore the significant national challenges that we face today, but I am optimistic about the future of our country, because I am confident that we have the will, the expertise and the imagination to find solutions that will enable us to continue on the path of national prosperity and social well-being,” he said.
The Governor General told the Ministers that, “collective responsibility is critical as you work in concert to confront these challenges”.
“I urge all of you to draw on accumulated experience and isolate those fundamental aspects of our culture that we would wish to transmit to future generations,” he added.