JLP leader Andrew Holness names new shadow cabinet

According to Irie FM, Jamaica Labour Party, JLP Andrew Holness  has appointed his new shadow cabinet in which there is no place for those who backed Audley Shaw in the leadership race, except for Shaw himself and Edmund Bartlett.

But neither Shaw nor Bartlett has yet accepted the invitation to join the new shadow cabinet or body of opposition spokespersons who speak on critical national issues and are expected to shadow counterparts in the cabinet.

Shaw has been offered the portfolio of finance and planning and Bartlett, foreign affairs and foreign trade, previously overseen by D Chris Tufton who has been left out. There have been big changes in the shadow cabinet that has been cut from 16 to 14, with staunch Holness backers in the recent leadership  race  taking on additional portfolio spokesperson responsibilities.

Holness’ backers retain their places including Karl Samuda, Pearnel Charles, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange  Shahine Robinson and Desmond Mckenzie.  Dr Horace Chang is also in the shadow cabinet.

Some of them have got expanded or higher profile portfolios. The largest shadow super portfolio positions go to Karl Samuda who will speak on investment, industry, commerce, mining  and energy.

Horace Chang gets infrastructure added to his previous portfolio areas of transport and water. Ms Grange’s responsibilities is added information to the portfolios of youth, culture and gender affairs.

Shahine Robinson gets the portfolios previously assigned to Ed Bartlett, tourism and cruise shipping. There are two new faces to shadow cabinet responsibilities, Andrew Wheatley  who has science digital society development and environment  and Alex Williams who is responsible for justice and justice system reform.

Derrick Smith returns to national security an area for which he previously had ministerial responsibility and also shadowed. Andrew Holness who is leader of the opposition,  keeps defence and adds to it education which used to be shadowed by Marissa Dalyrmple Philibert, a Shaw supporter who has been dropped from the shadow cabinet.

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