Prakash Ramadhar is happy with the new cabinet, which gives the Congress of the People (COP) more clout with additional members on board.
Ramadhar said, "In relation to the new ministries, for instance the one that Ganga Singh has been put in charge of, I think that is going to be one of the most important ministries for the future.
The COP leader spoke with reporters Sunday following a COP National Council meeting at the party's Operations Centre at Caroni Savannah Road in Chaguanas.
He said it is visionary for a Government to look at some of the issues the new ministries are intended to focus on.
COP member Ganga Singh is one of the new faces on the reconfigured cabinet. He is not new to government, having served in the Panday UNC administration. Singh will head a new ministry - Environment and Water Resources. Another COP member, Jamal Mohammed, is the new communications minister.
COP member Ganga Singh is one of the new faces on the reconfigured cabinet. He is not new to government, having served in the Panday UNC administration. Singh will head a new ministry - Environment and Water Resources. Another COP member, Jamal Mohammed, is the new communications minister.
The cabinet also includes a new ministry of National Diversity and Social Integration.
Ramadhar said, "In relation to the new ministries, for instance the one that Ganga Singh has been put in charge of, I think that is going to be one of the most important ministries for the future.
"We must never forget that in the world today, fresh water is an absolutely scarce resource. We cannot think only in terms of the delivery of water for today, but for ten, 15, 20, 100 years (from today).
"The environment if it is not protected, instead of it protecting us, if we poison it now, it will poison us later. That is a critically important ministry and that (the environment) has always been very close to my heart and the Congress of the People so I am very happy about that ministry.''
Ramadhar also stated that social integration has been ignored for too long and it is a good sign that there is now a ministry dedicated to that. He said his party's position has always been in favour a kind of politics brings people together.
"We need to know more about each other. Very often the thing that divides us is a lack of knowledge and, when we learn more about each other, we will realise how very similar we are or how rich we are as a people and our separations of the past must now be seen as strengths of the future.
"It is visionary for a Government to look at these things. No successful society has closed a blind eye to these matters. None,'' he said.
"It is easy to say that you have a super ministry and all of these things. For instance, Housing and the Environment is a conflict within itself in that you have land use, you have the environment and it would not be the right mix to have one ministry dealing with those two conflicting issues,'' he explained.
"The environment if it is not protected, instead of it protecting us, if we poison it now, it will poison us later. That is a critically important ministry and that (the environment) has always been very close to my heart and the Congress of the People so I am very happy about that ministry.''
Ramadhar also stated that social integration has been ignored for too long and it is a good sign that there is now a ministry dedicated to that. He said his party's position has always been in favour a kind of politics brings people together.
"We need to know more about each other. Very often the thing that divides us is a lack of knowledge and, when we learn more about each other, we will realise how very similar we are or how rich we are as a people and our separations of the past must now be seen as strengths of the future.
"It is visionary for a Government to look at these things. No successful society has closed a blind eye to these matters. None,'' he said.
"It is easy to say that you have a super ministry and all of these things. For instance, Housing and the Environment is a conflict within itself in that you have land use, you have the environment and it would not be the right mix to have one ministry dealing with those two conflicting issues,'' he explained.
COP has eight members in cabinet and one junior minister:
Prakash Ramadhar, Ganga Singh, Anil Roberts, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Winston Dookeran, Jamal Mohammed, Lincoln Douglas and Bhoe Tewarie. Rodger Samuel is a minister in the office of the PM.
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