PRIME MINISTER Portia Simpson Miller says she will not be answering calls made by the Opposition for the resignation of Phillip Paulwell, the Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce.
Yesterday, Simpson Miller again expressed confidence in the ability of Mr. Paulwell to lead the Commerce Ministry.
"If I did not have any confidence (in him) I would not have re-appointed him as a Minister of Government," she said while responding to questions from journalists about the recent calls for his resignation.
She was speaking at the official launch of the Private Sector Development Programme at the Hilton Kingston hotel in New Kingston.
The Prime Minister said that she had addressed the problem already by removing the Common External Tariff on imported cement for a year.
Audley Shaw, Opposition Spokesman on Finance, had last week called for the resignation of Mr. Paulwell and Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning, for what he said were their roles in the cement crisis now facing the country.
