Swearing-in of Government Ministers: more pictures:
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List of Minister and Parliamentary Secretaries Sworn in Today

Mr. Austin Jack Warner — Minister of Works and Transport
Mr. Winston Dookeran — Minister of Finance
Brigadier John Sandy — Minister of National Security
Ms. Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan — Minister of Energy and Energy Affairs
Dr. Surujattan Ranbachan — Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Rudrawatee Nan Ramgoolam — Minister of Public Administration
Mr. Fazal Karim — Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education
Ms. Therese Baptiste-Cornelis — Minister of Health
Mr. Emmanuel George — Ministry of Public Utilities
Mr. Vasant Bharath — Minister of Food Production
Ms. Mary King — Minister of Planning, Economics and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs
Mr. Chandresh Sharma — Minister of Local Government
Dr. Roodal Moonilal — Minister of Housing and the Environment
Mr. Stephen Cadiz — Minister of Trade and Industry
Dr. Rupert Griffith — Minister of tourism
Mr. Herbet Volney — Minister of Justice
Dr. Glen Ramadharsingh — Minister of the People and Social Development
Dr. Tim Gopeesingh — Minister of Education
Mr. Nizam Baksh — Minister of Community Development
Mr. Prakash Ramadhar — Minister of Legal Affairs
Mr. Errol Mc Leod — Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development
Mr. Anil Roberts — Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs
Ms. Vernella Alleyne Toppin — Minister of Tobago Development
Mr. Winston Peters — Minister of the Arts and Culture

Ministers in the Ministries

Mr. Rudranath Indarsingh — Ministry of Works and Transport
Mr. Clifton DeCoteau — Ministry of Education
Mr. Delmon Dexter Baker — Ministry of Tourism

Ministers of State

Mr. Colin Jefferson Partap — Office of the Prime Minister
Mr. Rodger Dominic Samuel — Office of the Prime Minister

Parliamentary Secretaries

Mr. Kevin Christian Ramnarine — Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs
Ms. Stacy Alana Roopnarine — Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs
Mr. Jairam Angad Seemungal — Ministry of Legal Affairs
Ms. Nela Khan — Ministry of the Arts and Culture
Ms. Ramona Ramdial — Ministry of Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs

Address by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at swearing in ceremony of the Ministers of Government, Knowsley Building, Queen’s Park West, Port of Spain

May 28 2010

(Salutations)

Fellow citizens. As Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago it gives me great pleasure to present to you the members of the Cabinet of the People’s Partnership government.

These twenty four men and women are the leaders who will represent the interests of the people.

I wish to make this address to all of us gathered here as members of the Cabinet and let the nation witness the following watchwords of our governance.

May I say to each of you that each day, you are expected to dedicate all of your energies towards ensuring that the people’s needs are being addressed.

All of us are held accountable to the people. Ours is a monumental task but it is one which is equally rewarding because there can be no greater call than that of national service.

We must accept no mediocrity. Neither must we contribute to it in any way.

There must be no room for arrogance.

We must be faithful to a leadership style that is firm but humble, passionate and impatient for great achievements but ever conscious of the correct procedures.

We have to be ever mindful that the nation is looking at us expectantly. No one out there expects excuses, they want results. No one expects us to create miracles, but simply to work hard enough as though we know could produce them.

Lead by example. Follow by learning to listen.

All of this is as much my mantra as it is your own.

As of now, each of us is on trial. We begin to be tested as of this very moment. We carry a huge responsibility to get this nation back on track.

So we must discover how to turn obstacles into opportunities, discover new ways of solving old problems. Inspire others by our enthusiasm and positive outlook.

As members of the Cabinet of the People’s Partnership we are stewards of the nation’s future. What a legacy we can leave behind. What an incredible privilege and honour given to us to serve in this way. What a phenomenal opportunity to make such a contribution to country.

My caution is never to become aloof, never lose sight of the true purpose of the position you hold. Stay grounded. Keep connected to the people. Earn their respect by the way you serve them.

As Chief Servant Makandal Daaga would say, the people are the government. We are servants of the people. We work for the people. Diligently and entirely and always in their interest.

The talent and commitment of this group assembled here this afternoon cannot be denied. Sure, many of you are new to this but that means you bring fresh ideas and new perspectives. Government cannot be about doing the same things and expecting different results.

The days will be long and the nights sleepless but the rewards will come from knowing that we are improving the lives of others and creating the kind of nation of which we can all be proud.

One of the hallmarks of our government must be that we serve every citizen with the same dedication regardless of their political affiliation. And we must never display any kind of party symbol during the conduct of our work as the government of Trinidad and Tobago in or out of Parliament.

Transparency and accountability must be evident in all government matters. We must be exemplars of the society, returning sound, traditional values of ethics and morals back into government. Honesty must be one of the given qualifications of anyone who hopes to serve the people.

Harness the best of our nation’s human resources to give reality to the change so many voted for. Disregard which party any qualified individual comes from or what ethnic group or religion or anything else that defines them in any way other than their competency and genuine commitment to serve the people.

“The people are the government.” Please take these words and frame them on every desk of each of your Ministries and recommit to them every single day of each month you are privileged to be in service to the nation.

Thank you for coming forward in the way each of you has to contribute to the large task of rebuilding our great nation. I pledge to you all that I will be a leader who in turn listens and that my decisions will only be arrived at after collaboration and always in the interest of what best serves Trinidad and Tobago. There is no room for personal egos, no time for personal agendas, and no opportunity for self glorification. This is not about us, it is about the people. And they have the power to dismiss us anytime.

Congratulations to each of you. The entire nation now awaits your performance. And your job expectations actually began on Monday night so we have some catching up to do already so let me not delay you any further. God bless and guide us all as we embark upon this inspired journey of national service.

And may God bless our nation.