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Senior Minister Francis Fonseca started out 2024 swimming in an alphabet soup of portfolio responsibilities. Let's put it like this, if we were to abbreviate his ministry, it would be the MFAFT-ECST.
That's the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Education, Culture, Science and Technology.
It doesn't quite glide off the tongue, and it's a portfolio that seems to be trapped between the right and left sides of the brain.
But, the ever dutiful Fonseca will no doubt manage it - "absolutely."
But, why didn't the PM just hand education over to the Minister of State in Education Dr Louis Zabaneh?
When we asked the Prime today about this he said he put a lot of thought into why he wanted Fonseca to continue to oversee the Education sector:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I gave it a lot of thought and I believe that there should be continuity within the ministry of education. Minister Fonseca has A very able deputy minister of education, minister Zabaneh and minister Zabaneh is very capable very talented but I do believe that Minister Fonseca has this passion for education and he is the one who implemented the vision that he put in education and I've just felt it was important for him to see it through. I am grateful you have no idea how grateful I am to minister Fonseca despite the fact he has a heavy work load decided to take on the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade. But also we must make this very clear that the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade also had competent people so I am very confident that we will be able to continue that work that amazing and historic work that minister Courtnaye did when he was minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade I think he has gone down in history as being the best foreign minister and foreign trade and we did not want to lose him but I understand that he also has other commitments and it was a commitment that he made to me three years ago and as much as I would have wanted him to stay he felt it was time to move on and so I am very grateful he decided to stay on as the leader of government business I the senate and to also have cabinet privileges and by that I simply mean this is not the first time it's happening. We had the late Fred Martinez in UDP government also when he was the leader of government business had him attend cabinet meetings and for us it is important to continue to have former minister Courtney to als participate in cabinet meetings whenever he can because he has a very busy agenda."
Reporter:
"Former Attorney-General Perryfitte has questioned the legality of that arrangement"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Let's put it this way if I need an attorney I would not use Peryfitte."
