PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding has made good on his promise to scrap the Ministry of LocalGovernment, which he had said was unnecessary and only served to burden the taxpayers. Yesterday, he named an 18-member Cabinet, four more persons than the most recent Cabinetled by former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. The new Cabinet will contain 15ministries, two more than the previous administration. Along with the job of Prime Minister,Mr. Golding takes the portfolios of Defence, Planning and Development. Audley Shaw has beennamed Minister of Finance and Public Service, while Derrick Smith has been named Minister ofNational Security. Mr. Smith's appointment shelved speculation that former policecommissioner, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, would have been brought through the Senate for the jobof National Security Minister. Meanwhile, for the first time since the P.J. Patterson era,Jamaica will have a deputy prime minister. Dr. Kenneth Baugh will take on that task while alsocarrying out the job of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Delroy Chuck, who wasthe Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Spokesman on Justice, was not considered for the same portfolioin government. Instead, Dorothy Lightbourne, who served as a senator in the last Parliament,has been appointed the country's first woman Attorney-General and Justice Minister. Delroy Chuck Speaker of the House Mr. Chuck will be nominated as Speaker of the House. Newcomer to representationalpolitics, Dr. Christopher Tufton, will be the Minister of Agriculture; Edmund Bartlett,Minister of Tourism; Andrew Holness, Minister of Education; Karl Samuda, Minister of Industryand Commerce; and Clive Mullings, Minister of Mining and Telecommunications. Horace Changtakes on the job of Minister of Water and Housing; Trade unionist Pearnel Charles, Mr.Golding's brother-in-law, will be Minister of Labour and Social Security. Rudyard Spencer willbe Minister of Health and Environment; Mike Henry, Minister of Transport and Works; and Olivia'Babsy' Grange, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports. Mr. Golding has alsonamed three ministers without portfolio. They are James Robertson in the Office of the PrimeMinister and Don Wehby and Dwight Nelson in the Ministry of Finance and PublicService. Until his appointment, Mr. Wehby was the Chief Executive Officer of GraceKennedyInvestments. Charlene Sharp-Pryce, lecturer at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), toldThe Gleaner last night that "the only surprise I have is with the number since it is one ofthe things [large cabinet] that he (Golding) has criticised." She added: "It is a very largecabinet...I am happy that he has included Christopher Tufton." Ms. Sharpe-Pryce said she waswilling to trust Mr. Golding's judgement since, she believed, he knows the team he is workingwith. Meanwhile, commentator Kevin O'Brien Chang described the decision to appoint Mr. Wehbyand Mr. Nelson in the finance ministry as "a master stroke". "There are doubts about Mr.Shaw and it is clear that they are there to help him," Mr. Changsaid. "Mr. Wehby to appeasethe business people and Mr. Nelson to appease the trade unions." daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com | 
