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Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has appointed controversial Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald as Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration and Communications.
McDonald, the PNM’s deputy political leader, was already twice given a ministerial portfolio under the current administration and was fired on both occasions.
She was sacked as Minister of Housing and Urban Development on 17 March 2016 while the subject of an Integrity Commission investigation into her role in State payments to the Calabash Foundation, which is headed by her common-law husband, Michael Carew.
And, on Sunday 2 July 2017, McDonald was fired again after she turned up for her swearing-in ceremony as Minister of Public Utilities, just two days earlier, with alleged gangster Cedric Burke.
The following is the full release from the Office of the Prime Minister:
The Prime Minister, Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, today advised the President, His Excellency Anthony Carmona to appoint the Honourable Ms. Marlene McDonald as a Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration and Communications, where she will assist the Prime Minister who continues to hold the portfolio which he assumed since the substantive minister, the Honourable Maxie Cuffie, fell ill a few months ago.
In making the appointment the Prime Minister said “Ms McDonald can make a valuable contribution to the ministry and I am confident that she will meritoriously perform the duties required as a minister in the ministry.”
(Copyright Reuters)
Ms McDonald, in accepting the appointment, pledged to dedicate herself to the business of the ministry and said that she was “committed and motivated to perform.”
She will be sworn in at 1:30 pm today, March 1st, at the Office of the President.
Ms McDonald was first elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Port-of-Spain South on 5 November 2007, at which time she was appointed Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs.
From 2010 to 2015 she served in Opposition as the Chief Whip.
Ms Marlene McDonald was re-elected to the House of Representatives of the 11th Parliament on September 7, 2015. Four days later she was appointed Minister of Housing and Urban Development, a position she held until March 17, 2016.
She was then appointed Minister of Public Utilities from June 30th 2017, a position she held until July 1st 2017. Ms McDonald is an experienced parliamentarian and her contribution to the ministry is welcomed.
(Courtesy LoopTT)
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Marlene the only power you know is the power in your blood marlene is a woman with a soul amen cannot be bought you canot by class.dignity .kindness.grace.intelligence ok God bless you amen
Doh worry she getting fire tomorrow
Nah!!! People hah no shame?. Lef Wakanda outta dis?
No more drunk people
I think ..once you are fired from public office you should ‘nt be allowed in public office period once corrupt always corrupt
These political parties like ah bad soap opera. Same people keep going and coming back out of the wood works do bobol go then come back. Really?! We in such a bad way that there is no clean good blood to bring a different culture- different ideas to politics. Losing hope for the citizens in this country and the politicians we have created
Iftikar, Would your aunt be willing to go AA? There’s a chapter near her home and before the meetings, all members receive hops and cheese and orange juice. persuade her to join nah and leave de “Grey Goose” for me!
amidst all this reshuffling of one person Adrian Leonce remains the only elected representative not to be given a post. I would really like to know how much he has offended Rowley
leave him with that Job elections near so he wants the constient votes so he is trying anything
People in these comments actually congratulating her on the appointment?? Tells me all I need to know about why the country is in the state it is in?
These people for real??? We really scripting for people to serve now.
I’ll say this, Marlene is like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes.
Bring back the queen
Why her? Aren’t there other suitably qualified people? Come on..
Good question, but are any of them qualified?
My question too Brian.
Why Minister in the ministry?
Is it to keep Maxie getting a Minister‘s salary?
Fair question.
Thank God another two years then to the poles. All the action taken only to come and revert your decision. Reminds me of an animal that vomits and turns around to eat it. Me, believe and have confidence in any politician? I’ll die first! TOTALLY ASHAMED OF YOU!
Two years to Aunty
Iftikar,, that’s for you to decide. You know my way with them! NOT A DAMN VOTE!
Iftikar Hosein Iftikar Hosein : Your aunty will always be a drunkard
What a town.
Let’s start the counting Lasana Liburd. I say she will not last till Monday. What do you think?
The racing pools should be flooded with gamblers
Let’s see if the third time is a charm for the Hon(?) Minister.
Burky gt
Congratulations Ms Donald you would bring balance. With your legal mind and maturity the only way is up.You are a loyal woman and not made of straw.You kept your cool with all that was thrown at you. All success. Meekly wait and murmur not. Your grand mother trained you well.
I can’t type to this title.
Have to believe she must have something over his head to make this decision. Wow..
Nah. The Prime Minister is just lazy and need a work horse. Very little choice otherwise.
Very “Trumpian” in nature.. this decision
Keston K. Perry don’t know if you bring sarcastic. But you not the only person I heard say this
Lol I’m not. His secretaries will tell you how much work is piled up over months awaiting his attention.
Keston K. Perry heard he has been so since in opposition
He’s surely no Patrick Manning.
Manning had a reputation as a workaholic.
Hmm, honestly not sure how to take this comparison..
Brian Jordan don’t buy what the media feeds you. Pple who work directly with them will know
I just judge delivery and end product. Sweet words mean nothing to me
What has been the result in your view? Why do you think Stuart Young is minister of everything without portfolio?
Still waiting.. giving a little leeway for budgetary constraints. Had hoped for more new revenue generation ideas..
Good luck. They will lose the 2020 elections, and we back to square one.
Expected.. Too much self aggrandizing for little work and still blaming the opposition three years in. Recipe for a loss for sure.. still have a little hope for the country.
Congratulations
Congratulations Ms Mcdonald. You more than proved your maturity, and loyalty to party, gov’t, and the country.
This man is tone deaf. At a time when he’s advocating for anti-gang legisislation, he brings back Burkie’s godmother?
I hope she does not bring him to the swearing in ceremony
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20170628/news/marlenes-return
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-06-29/marlene-still-under-probe
He can’t be that politically dumb, can he? Or, ahem, does he have the power to say no to her is the question.
Might as well swear in the guy in the tie, mi seh.
Kala Ramnath, dumb? I just wonder what distraction this is for. Smh.
If you saw my photo comment lower down, I do was just agreeing with the point Gerard Johnson raised.
It almost appears as if the (mid term?) election bell has rung.
Hmmm. Indeed, but I just wondered about the er constituency pressures that made him resurrect her. Im sure there are lots of capable PNMites who have no dodgy pasts.
Gerard one can imagine her fielding those questions from the press.
Kala Ramnath, and therein lies my issue.
The party can certainly have whomever behind the scene but as a front line minister, what moral authority does she have? Is there currently a police investigation into the missing community centre? I am thinking not, just like there isn’t a police investigation into a missing $100m.
I am disappointed in shortman.
Taypayers don’t like their tax $ sleeping out, please try to bring it home!
A missing community centre? Wow.
It’s it one of the articles posted. The then Miniater (through an advisor, of course) recommended payment, if I recall correctly, even before the company was set up. Needless to say, to date, there is no building.
Oh, I think it was stated the money was given to clear the area (of the old building). Smh. So where the scope of works, proposal/contract? Smh.
I hope for the sake of transparency and good governance that the good people of his party register their disapproval on this page and elsewhere.
More elawwhere.
Remember the PNM culture is no dog bark! You saw the hits the PM took against Mariano? The way he ostracised Penny and Amery from the party? Most of the experienced, and in my opinion, better options have been sidelined.
Both parties seem to suffer from this debilitating phenomenon.
Fake news. Lol
Lol. She hadda be de fricking terminator