ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has named a 17-member Cabinet that includes the recently elected President of the Grenada Bar Association (GBA) Jimmy Bristol and the deputy leader of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) George Prime, who was defeated in the July 8 general elections.

Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson was among a list of regional and local dignitaries, including former Governor General Sir Paul Scoon and the Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court, Hugh Rawlins, that attended the ceremony of the new ministers held at the National Stadium on Sunday as part of the weekend of “Thanksgiving and Reconciliation”.

“We are going to promote a servant oriented leadership in the country and we are thankful for the responsibility that has been assigned to us today. I am giving you the assurance that we are going to do our utmost to uphold and maintain the institutions of Grenada,“ Thomas said.

“No one should benefit from the State at the expense of the people of this country. If you are reckless in managing the assets of the State, that could be interpreted as being unpatriotic so we ought to be concerned about managing effectively."

Thomas, 63, an attorney, who became the island’s eighth prime minister since political independence in 1973, will also be responsible for National Security, Information and Legal Affairs.

Bristol, who was elected GBA president two months ago, is now the Attorney General, while the new Minister for Education and Human Resource is Franca Bernadine, the former Director of the United States Peace Corps volunteers here.

Prime will be appointed a government senator and has been named the Minister of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, overseeing the constituency he lost in the election to former attorney general Elvin Nimrod.

Thomas has given ministerial portfolios to nine of the 11 victorious candidates in the July 8 general elections that ended the 13-year rule of the New National Party (NNP) headed by former prime minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

Attorney and NDC public relations officer Nazim Burke has been appointed Minister of Finance, Planning, Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Cooperatives, with Michael Church as his junior minister.

The Minister of Works, Physical Planning, Development, Public Utilities and the Environment is Joseph Gilbert while Sylvester Quarless, who resigned as a Government Information Officer earlier this year, has been named junior minister in the ministry.

General Secretary of the ruling party, Peter David, has been named the Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs with Michael Lett is the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The Minister for Social Services, Ecclesiastical Affairs and Labour is Glynis Roberts, while Alleyne Walker will be the Minister for Housing, Lands and Community Development.

Patrick Simmons has been named the Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture and Karl Hood, the Minister for Health.

The other junior ministers named Ann Peters to serve in the Ministry of Health; Arley Gill in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Culture and Sports; and Glen Noel in the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Community Development.

Thomas described Sunday's swearing in ceremony as an "historic'' occasion.

“We are going to build our institutions, to strengthen their capacity. Over the years we have seen interference in the institutions of this country,'' Thomas said at the ceremony that was presided over by Governor General Sir Daniel Williams.

"I am saying here to you tonight that there is going to be a new approach. We are saying no more of the political meddling in our institutions. We are going to minimise this,” Prime Minister Thomas told the large crowd that attended the event.

CMC/rt/pr/08