Walters slams PM’s Cabinet Reshuffle

Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) Vice President Ryan Walters has accused Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of using the announcement of a Cabinet Reshuffle as a “side show” as the country continues to face a slew of challenges arising from other burning issues.

In a post on his official Facebook page Sunday morning, Walters questioned why the national announcement was made at a party gathering and on the same day there was a protest in The City against the Inter-American Bank controversial survey that was administered to first form students at five secondary schools earlier this month.

“A party’s annual conference is to primarily mobilise the party’s organs and base. It surely is not the place to be making national Prime Ministerial announcements about a cabinet reshuffle. Such statements are made at a press conference called by the Prime Minister’s Office not to a political section of electorate. Is it that the BLP leader could not find anything to say to her party base to energise them, so instead she created a different national narrative in order distract from the many current burning issues?”

He continued: “The fact that this announcement was made on the same day that hundreds were marching in The City against her Ministry and Minister of Education is not lost on me. Based on public sentiment, the issue of that controversial IDB survey is not going away. The other myriad of issues currently on the tongues on Bajans are not going away either. No amount of smoke and mirrors or sideshows will quell the issues. The issues have to be dealt with head on.”

Walters, who is a business executive, suggested that the Ministry of Education should not be left untouched in the reshuffle.

“Any serious Cabinet reshuffle should include the Minister of Education. The masses have been calling for it. When the PM made the announcement was her mic muted when she said that Kay McConney was sacked from Cabinet? I am still here waiting to hear her name called.”

The DLP politician challenged the PM to take a leaf out of former prime minister Owen Arthur’s playbook and simply fire non-performing ministers.

“Do not impose failures on other ministries. It is akin to musical chairs. But, this game cannot work when you are dealing with these monumental matters facing our country.  Lisa Cummins is no surprise as she has proven to be a failure in propelling tourism. But, why put her in another ministry? The PM is now in the habit of reshuffling failure,” the business executive said.

He also questioned the number of reshuffles since the Government came to office four years ago and urged the PM to hold people accountable.

“The PM must hold her ministers and by extension herself accountable to the people who elected them. Attempts to hide, mask or turn a blind eye will not help our country move forward. How is Kerrie Symmonds now on his third or fourth ministry? There have been so many reshuffles since the Bees came to office in 2018 I cannot keep track. This reshuffle comes just nine months after the general election . . . Why? Are these reshuffles because of bad assigning on the PM’s part or is it that her group of ministers simply cannot perform?” he asked.

The former DLP candidate then launched into the removal of his general election opponent MP for St Michael North Neil Rowe as Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.

“The most intriguing of all is the Deputy Speaker. Why is a new Deputy Speaker being nominated Tuesday? Why is this change being announced with a Cabinet reshuffle when the role is not a Cabinet role? It is a parliamentary role. Why is there a change to the Deputy Speaker? Is it to fire the current deputy speaker or to give the incoming one a job? That position hardly ever changes unless it is vacated by the occupant, which was the case in 2020 when Gline Clarke resigned to go Canada.”

He added: “We need to know why this change was made. Is the MP for St Michael North West a failure too in a job he hardly ever performs?

Claiming “there is more in mortar than the pestle”, the vice president urged Bajans to demand answers as he queried if the reshuffle, involving seven people, was just about one or two politicians. (IMC)