ST. VINCENT-New senator named in minor re-shuffle of government

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ST. VINCENT-New senator named in minor re-shuffle of government
ST. VINCENT-New senator named in minor re-shuffle of government

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Wednesday named 33-year-old town and country planner Benarva Browne to his government, replacing 71-year-old Julian Francis in a minor cabinet -re-shuffle.

Francis, a senator since April 2001, left office on Tuesday, one year after suffering a stroke that kept him away from Parliament for all but two of the sessions. He has now been appointed as a special advisor to the government.

Browne was sworn in as the Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Seaport Development, Seaport Administration, Grenadine Affairs, and Local Government at a ceremony held at Government House and presided over by Governor General Dame Susan Dougan.

Browne, who holds an undergraduate and Master’s degree in Town and Country Planning from the University of the West of England, Bristol, will take her oath as a government senator on Thursday when Parliament meets for the first time at the new temporary building on the capital’s outskirts.

“This is wonderful; wonderful. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to officiate here this morning,” Dame Susan said as she congratulated Browne on her appointment, saying it is a proud moment for the new minister, her parents, relatives, friends, and “your old teachers — me.”

Dame Susan, a retired principal of the Girls High School, told Browne, “You have distinguished yourself, and I know that you are placed in a position where you are going to excel even further.

“You are young, intelligent, involved in nation building, and now you are allowed to translate your training into practical ways of doing things,” the Governor General said, wishing Browne success while quoting the Girls High School motto, “Per Ardua Ad Alta (Through Difficulty to Heights).”

The Governor General, a former cabinet secretary under the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration, also thanked Francis for his “unwavering support in service to the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“And this is over 20 years, but you have served in other capacities, I know, as a banker and in other areas. But you still have skills. You are not one to sit down idly, so we will call on you occasionally,” she said of the outgoing legislator, who was present at the swearing-in ceremony.

“I know it is a challenging time for all of us because there is so much to grapple with globally, and I know that your contribution was invaluable, Minister Francis, to everyone in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Dame Susan said.

She noted that young women are coming to the fore and giving service in traditionally male-dominated areas.

The Head of State said she was happy that many of them have returned to the country to strengthen national initiatives and give back service. It is essential that although some would go overseas and have to go abroad, they can contribute to national service.

“The road is not going to be easy, it is a challenge anywhere you go, but I know you can summon these challenges. God bless you,” the Governor General said.

Prime Minister Gonsalves, in congratulating the new addition to his Cabinet, said Browne is highly trained in the areas of urban planning, urban development, and spatial planning and that even while pursuing her studies, she had been doing consultancy work and has had more than a working knowledge of many of the urban development projects here.

“Before I came to this office, I knew her at pre-school up in Edinboro — Auntie Kirby pre-school, and when I attended there every day to take my daughter, they would all come out on the balcony to welcome ‘Uncle Ralph’ because every day I performed some magic or the other with coins of a handkerchief, divorces kinds of magic, which I picked up here or there,” the prime minister said.

“Well, she would be working some magic with me in the government,” Gonsalves said, informing the audience that among the new minister’s relatives was Roy Austin, the US ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago under the George Bush administration.

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