Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
The members of the Bruce Golding-led 18-member Cabinet that was sworn in yesterday at King's House. Front row from left: Derrick Smith, National Security; Dorothy Lightbourne, Attorney-General and Justice Minister; Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance and the Public Service; Bruce Golding, Prime Minister, Planning and Development, and Defence; Dr. Ken Baugh, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and Trade; Olivia Grange, Information, Culture, Youth and Sports; Andrew Holness, Education. Second row from left: Dwight Nelson,Minister Without Portfolio, Finance and the Public Service; Pearnel Charles, Labour and Social Security; Michael Henry, Transport and Works; James Robertson, Minister Without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister; Karl Samuda, Industry and Commerce; Clive Mullings, Energy, Mining and Telecommunications. Back row from left: Edmund Bartlett, Tourism; Dr. Horace Chang, Water and Housing; Rudyard Spencer, Health and Environment; Don Wehby, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service; Dr. Christopher Tufton, Agriculture. -Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Take a walk with The Sunday Gleaner back in time and examine the evolution of Jamaican cabinets.
A Jamaican Prime Minister has appointed as many as 23 members to a Cabinet, history has shown. This was under the Michael Manley-led administration which formed the government in 1976.
Former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who led the Government until recently, has had the smallest Cabinet - 14 members.
1944:
When Jamaica achieved Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944, there was no Cabinet. Instead, there was a 15-member Executive Council, led by Sir John Huggins, the governor.
Frank Leslie Brown was the Colonial Secretary and Robert Taylor, the Financial Secretary. There were the posts of an Attorney-General, Director of Medical Sciences, Director of Education, Minister of Communi-cations, Minister of Finance and General Purposes, Minister of Social Welfare, Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Commerce, and Minister of Education.
1949
The size of the Executive Council dropped to 11 members after 1949. Sir Hugh Foote was governor.
Sir Alexander Bustamante was Minister of Communications, and Sir Harold Allen was the Minister of Finance and General Purposes.
When the constitution was amended in 1953, Sir Alexander headed the cabinet as Chief Minister.
The ministry of Trade and Industry was created and Allan Douglas became its first minister. Rose Leon also became the first Minister of Health and Housing.
1955
When Norman Manley's People's National Party formed the government after the 1955 election, Manley became Premier and headed a 16-member Cabinet.
1959
By 1959, Mr. Manley downsized his Cabinet to 12 members, even though he had two ministers of home affairs. The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was created that year.
1962
Sir Alexander Bustamante had a 16-member Cabinet after he became Jamaica's first Prime Minister.
1967
Sir Donald Sangster, who led the JLP administration immediately after the election, had a 16-member Cabinet. Leopold Lynch was made Minister of Local Government - the first time it was standing on its own. Another new ministry - Youth and Community Development - was headed by Allan Douglas.
1972
When the Government changed in the 1972 election, Michael Manley assembled an 18-member Cabinet. P.J. Patterson was Tourism Minister. A notable new ministry was Commerce and Consumer Protection, which William Isaacs led. Eric Bell was Minister of Public Utilities, another new ministry.
1976
Manley made a massive increase to the size of his Cabinet after the 1976 election, assembling a 23-member team. P.J. Patterson got a new ministerial job in a new ministry - Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
Hugh Small became Jamaica's first Minister of Youth and Sports, and Dr. D.K. Duncan was made Minister of National Mobilisation.
Another new ministry was that of Mining and Natural Resources, which Dudley Thompson headed. This Cabinet had the assistance of 10 state ministers and eight parliamentary secretaries.
1980
Edward Seaga decreased the size
of the cabinet to 15 members after his party won the 1980 election even though he had created a new ministry - National Security and Justice headed and Attorney General which was headed by Winston Spaulding and Ministry of Construction, which Bruce Golding led.
1983
By 1983 Mr. Seaga had increased the size of the cabinet to 18 members. The ministry of Environment, Science and Technology was formed.
1989
When the PNP returned to power in 1989, Mr. Manley had a 19-member cabinet. The shape of the cabinet remained almost identical, except that he separated National Security from Justice. K.D. Knight received responsibility for the national security ministry, and Carl Rattray was made Justice minister.
1993
When P.J. Patterson won his first election as prime minister in 1993, he started with a 16-member cabinet.
1997-2006
By 1997 the size of Mr. Patterson's cabinet had been increased to 18 members. That was later down sized to a 16-member cabinet, and when Portia Simpson Miller took over as Prime Minister last year March she further reduced it to 14 members.
2007
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has named an 18-member cabinet and have scrapped Local Government as a ministry.
