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  • 8 months ago
The Constitution mandates that there is to be a new Cabinet once Stuart Young is appointed as the next Prime Minister tomorrow.

But it is an appointment that is being threatened by the Opposition.

Juhel Browne has more
Transcript
00:00It is the first time that a political leader who is the Prime Minister has left office
00:06other than in a coffin, or by way of an election loss, and therefore Dr Rowley is creating
00:12history today.
00:13Rural Development and Local Government Minister Farris Al-Rawi speaking the day before Stuart
00:19Young's appointment as the next Prime Minister.
00:2276-1A is quite simply where on the occasion of the appointment of a Prime Minister the
00:29President shall appoint the person who is the leader in the House of Representatives
00:36of the party that controls the majority.
00:39Twenty-one of us have unanimously said that Minister Young has our support.
00:43He has indicated he is willing, therefore he qualifies under 76-1A.
00:48During the PNM's special convention on Sunday, the outgoing Prime Minister responded to the
00:53opposition leader's threat of legal action as he made reference to the 2015 General Election.
01:23Minister Al-Rawi said he was expressing his own view.
01:32They can't challenge the act of the President.
01:35They can ask for an interpretation of the Constitution.
01:38That is par for the course.
01:40One thing I can say is that in my ten years as Attorney General she's lost every single
01:44matter that she brought of any serious measure.
01:48However, TV6 News has sought some clarification from the Minister since the PNM could be facing
01:54the next General Election with their political leader not being the Prime Minister.
02:00And one wonders how soon will that issue in terms of the new political leadership be addressed?
02:06Will that be done before or after the election?
02:09So the Prime Minister, Dr Rawi as our political leader, has already dealt with that issue
02:15by the party at the General Council meeting that we had post the January retreat that we had.
02:23The party determined that we will have our convention in September.
02:26So that is not a debatable issue.
02:29We also spoke with the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government about immediate reports
02:34of a pending Cabinet shake-up since a new Attorney General is to be appointed.
02:39Under section 77-3A of the Constitution, that on the appointment or reappointment of a Prime
02:44Minister all Ministers vacate office.
02:47So there will be a new Cabinet following upon Minister Young's appointment.
02:51In the last three years I've been in Rural Development and Local Government and there's
02:54a heavy amount of work going on.
02:56Not only in reform but in project delivery.
02:59Personally, it's important for me to carry out my job.
03:04We are at, we're in a hundred metres race at marker 99.
03:10Minister Al Rawi said Cabinet appointments will be the sole discretion of the new Prime Minister.
03:16Jule Brown, TV6 News.
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