Former energy minister Conrad Enill says Marlene Mc Donald can be reappointed to the Cabinet now even before the Integrity Commission completes its investigation.
The commission is investigating a complaint against her filed by Fixin’ T&T which alleged she breached parliamentary rules when she hired her common-law spouse and his brother to work in her constituency office during the tenth parliamentary term at salaries above $10,000 each.
Parliament pays the expenses of constituency offices and its rules forbid the hiring of relatives.
However, Enill said yesterday there was a basic principle that someone was considered innocent until proven guilty and Mc Donald was not found guilty of anything as the probe was incomplete. He said in those circumstances , the former minister could be reappointed to the Cabinet. She was fired in March, six months after being given the portfolio.
But Enill said Mc Donald had not gone anywhere as she remained a serving MP for Port-of-Spain South. He said Mc Donald has “talent and is a manager. She does have skills, expertise and experience.”
He said the Prime Minister required all the resources available to him to advance the country as it was not easy to get others to enter the government system for various reasons, including that it was not attractive and also because of the requirements by the Integrity Commission.
He insisted that the PM should not have such talent “within the system not doing anything to help with the agenda you have to advance the country.”
Last weekend Dr Rowley claimed the commission was dragging its feet on that matter. The commission denied the allegation. Enill said Mc Donald's matter must be handled in the appropriate way, adding: “You can't be judge, jury and executioner in a matter of that nature.”
He said it was up to the Integrity Commission to deal with the matter “and they will decide at the end of the day what the sanctions are for the crime.”
However, he insisted: “Until then I think you should use the resources that you have to make T&T a better place.”
Questioned about the wider Cabinet changes, Enill said the population had expressed the need for more from at least three Cabinet Ministers: Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and National Security Minister Edmund Dillon.
He added when most of the ministers were appointed they did not have the required experience and had to learn on the job, adding mistakes were made.
He said the Ministry of Works and Local Government had some similar responsibilities and could be realigned.
“He (PM Rowley) may decide he wants to realign Local Government with Works and he would have to find somebody with the required experience to carry that portfolio,” Enill added.
He said the need to realign would be done for more efficient and effective governance.
Admitting that he was not able to say which minister was weak in the Government, Enill said the “population has singled out a number of ministries where they believe the minister should have communicated better.”
Rowley has said the changes could be announced after the presentation of the 2016/17 national budget in the coming weeks.