By Peter Richards
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 3, CMC—Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar Saturday unveiled a 21-member cabinet emphasizing security and energy and announcing plans to revoke the Revenue Authority Act that led to the establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA), a semi-autonomous institution responsible for revenue collection and enforcement, trade facilitation, and border control.
The former government had said that the TTRA would be a fusion of the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) and the Customs & Excise Division (CED) and would benefit from the synergies, cost efficiencies, and data pooling of a single revenue-collecting authority.
The TTRA had been the subject of an appeal before the London-based Privy Council after the Court of Appeal here had dismissed the Public Services Association’s (PSA) challenge to the constitutionality of the TTRA Act. The Public Service Association (PSA), through its member Terisa Dhoray, had argued that the Act was unconstitutional, but both the High Court and the Court of Appeal disagreed.
The state successfully defended the constitutionality of the TTRA before the Privy Council, the country’s highest and final court.
The United National Congress (UNC) led coalition had during the campaign for the April 28 general election, made security a major issue and Prime Minister Persad Bissessar in name her cabinet underscored that position.
Unlike the previous administration where there had been a ministry of national security, Prime Minister Persad Bissessar named a Minister of Defence in attorney Wayne Sturge, a Minister of Justice in Davesh Maharaj and a Minister of Homeland Security in Roger Alexander, who resigned as a senior superintendent of police, who was last assigned to the Anti-Extortion Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Sandam Hosein has been named Minister of Legal Affairs. The Minister of Tourism was not sworn in as that person is reported to be out of the country.
Prime Minister Persad Bissessar said that one of the main priorities of her Attorney General, John Jeremie, will be to set the legislative agenda as soon as possible.
“My Attorney General will be given instructions as well to work with the Cabinet t put in place as fast as we can stand your ground laws, home invasion laws and the regulations that we would need to grant firearms to law abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She said many of the other pieces of legislation, which she described as “low hanging fruits, would not require a lot of money…but we really want to bring theses things in place and my Minister of Finance (Davendranath Tancoo) has been mandated, we need to find out what is the state of the Treasury before we can run off to do…
“I can only know that by Monday and my Minister of Finance and my Minister of Planning put their heads together and let us see what we can do and then my Minister of Trade and all the other ministries will work towards getting revenue streams into or country.
‘We have to find money, we have to make money…and on this regard we must never ever forget our sister island Tobago. Tobago has tremendous resources and we will work with the THA (Tobago House of Assembly),” she added.
But Persad Bissessar gave the biggest hint that her administration, unlike the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) governments would not be putting a lot of emphasis on the Dragon Field project with Venezuela.
Earlier this month, the United States government revoked the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) license granted to Trinidad and Tobago to allow Shell, the National Gas Company (NGC), and contractors to explore, produce, and export natural gas from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas Field.
The license was valid until October 31, 2025, and enabled Trinidad and Tobago to pay for gas in various currencies and through humanitarian measures. On December 21, 2023, Trinidad and Tobago also secured a 30-year exploration and production license from the government of Venezuela for the Dragon gas field.
Washington has also revoked the Cocuina-Manakin license granted to Port of Spain on May 31, 2024.
Port of Spain had been planning to request an extension from Washington for a license granted to Shell and the NGC to develop the Dragon gas project in Venezuela.
The license, issued in early 2023, allows the companies to plan the project. The project aims to supply gas to Trinidad by 2027. The Dragon Field is located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad.
But Persad Bissessar told the ceremony where the ministers took their oath before President Christine Kangaloo that the newly appointed Minister of Energy and Energy Industrial, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, has been “mandated, instructed “ to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago benefits from the energy sector one of the oldest in the hemisphere “which we could use to market to our CARICOM neighbour and of course further afield.
“My Minister of Energy has been mandated from day one, let us explore the offer being made by Guyana to bring gas to Trinidad and Tobago, let us explore as well what we can do with Suriname…which is also energy producing, again we can partner with them.
“But I have a surprise for you. I intend to send my Minister of Energy to Grenada because I am being told Grenada offshore has more gas and oil than the Dragon Field. Shall we explore that,” she asked to loud applause from the audience.
“Let us explore that so we can live and work together in the CARICOM…and of course there is much more and they will all get their instructions,” she said, warning that ministers will be held accountable.
“I look forward for working with all of you. I looking forward for us working together,” she told the ceremony that began nearly an hour late due to what the officials said due to a vehicular accident.
The Following is the list of ministers in the new Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago.
Kamla Persad Bissessar-Prime Minister
John Jeremie – Attorney General
Ravi Rattiram – Minister of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries
Devesh Maharaj – Minister of Justice, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General
Michelle Benjamin – Minister of Culture & Community Development
Wayne Sturge – Minister of Defense
Dr. Michael Dowlath – Minister of Education
Dr. Roodal Moonilal – Minister of Energy and Energy Industries
Davendranath Tancoo – Minister of Finance
Sean Sobers – Minister of Caricom & Foreign Affairs
Lackram Bodoe – Minister of Health
Rishard Seecharam – Minister in the Ministry of Health
Roger Alexander – Minister of Homeland Security
Dr. David Lee – Minister of Housing
Leroy Baptiste – Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development
Saddam Hosein – Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries
Barry Phadarath – Minster in the Office of the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Utilities
Vandana Mohit – Minister of the People, Social Development & Family Services
Kennedy Swaratsingh – Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs & Development
Dominic Smith – Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence
Khadijah Ameen – Minister of Rural Development & Local Government
Phillip Watts – Minister of Sport & Youth Affairs
Prakash Persad – Minister of Tertiary Education & Skills Training
Eli Zakour – Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation
Jerlean John – Minister of Works & Infrastructure
Colin Gosine -Minister of Trade and Investment
CMC/pr/ir/2025