The new Cabinet, with chairman, Prime Minister Gaston Browne presiding, began its first post-Election meeting on Wednesday with a message and prayer.
Led by the Salvation Army’s Major Pierre, the prayer requested God’s favour on the cabinet collectively, and for each member individually, as they manage the affairs of the nation for another five years.
Each month, a member of the clergy from one of the denominations in Antigua and Barbuda prays with the cabinet at the start of its weekly Wednesday meeting.
The cabinet is composed of the cabinet secretary, the prime minister and the seven ministers who have been appointed and given portfolios.
The other elected member of the ABLP has been appointed Deputy Speaker and cannot, under the constitution, be a member of the cabinet.
All members of the cabinet were present at Wednesday’s meeting, including Foreign Minister E. P. Chet Greene who joined via ZOOM from Argentina where he represented the country at the CELAC summit on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the cabinet invited the Director, Permanent Secretary and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Works to reset the ministry now that a new minister has been appointed.
It was decided that all contracts emanating from the Ministry of Works will come before cabinet for approval in order to maintain the transparency that the ABLP administration has pursued since taking power in 2014.
Similar contracts reviews will also now occur for those entered into by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and Central Board of Health (CBH).
The Cabinet applauded the new Minister of Works, Maria Browne, and the technical team for acting to resurface Loblolly Street with concrete.
Already the cement, steel, aggregates and machines necessary to complete the project are being moved into place to complete the road which is just over 100 yards long.
Minister Browne also reported that the resurfacing work on Anchorage Road has been halted until new water pipes have been installed in the area as the existing network of pipes is more than 60 years old.
The cabinet also agreed on Wednesday to settle overtime payments due to quarry workers. The money to meet the outstanding obligation to the workers will be transferred from the Citizenship by Investment Programme.
