One day following the swearing in of the country’s new Prime Minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, the Government House again was scheduled to host another ceremony late Friday afternoon. This time it was Mr Philip J Pierre, the Castries East elected representative who was being sworn in as a Cabinet member.
The Governor General, Dame Pearlette Louisy explained that the prime minister was out of state and therefore it is of utmost importance that there is an acting prime minister to manage the affairs of the country. No word was given as to the purpose of the PM’s travel but the Governor General noted that he will be out for two days during which the newly sworn in minister and deputy leader of the SLP, Philip J Pierre will assume the post of acting prime minister.
Those who thought Pierre’s previous portfolio of Minister of Tourism would be returned to him were surprised when he was sworn in as the Minister of Infrastructure, Ports Services and Transport.
With this portfolio being the most important, it is obvious the prime minister trusts no other than his right hand man to handle this ministry which could see a record spending in the coming year.Speaking with the press, Pierre emphasized how much work needs to be done in St Lucia.
“We have serious problems,” he said, “the roads in St Lucia have never been so bad and this is a huge ministry and with the support of the staff and my Cabinet colleagues, we will be able to succeed.”
Present at the ceremony were a few supporters including, Jacintha Bakie, treasurer for the Castries East constituency, Andrea Bourne, president of the SLP women’s organization and Karen Vidal, campaign strategist for Castries East SLP constituency.
After thanking the people of St Lucia, more specifically his constituency, Pierre admitted that his assignment will not be an easy one referring to the recovery process after the passage of Hurricane Tomas and most recently, the devastation in Soufriere.
“I feel humbled and will ensure I do my best at the highest level of integrity, honesty and transparency,” he said as a tear trickled down his face.
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