President David Granger has deemed the “shifting” of ministerial portfolios of the Ministers of Public Health, Social Cohesion and Social Protection as a “positive move” and one that is “prudent and timely” at this time of the year.

The changes, which will see Dr George Norton assuming the role of Minister of Social Cohesion, the Public Health ministerial portfolio being assumed by Volda Lawrence and Government Chief Whip Amna Ally shifting to head the Ministry of Social Protection, became effective on Tuesday, January 03, 2017.

Speaking on the reshuffle on Tuesday, the President said that as head of the government, it is his responsibility to continuously assess the ability of the Cabinet in order to fulfill its function.  He said that he found it necessary to assess the manner in which the three government ministers have been performing, noting that the move was undertaken to ensure the government continues to deliver on the quality of public service to the populace.

He reminded that at the beginning of 2016, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman were appointed to their current portfolios.

Dr Norton has been at the centre of several public criticisms while heading the Public Health Ministry in 2016.

“As you know during 2016 there was some criticisms and I felt that the criticisms were detracting from the performance of the Cabinet as a whole,” the Head of State said. He said he believes it is prudent and timely to make the changes at the beginning of 2017.

“It’s a positive move because as you know some criticism has been made about the quality of national unity and social cohesion in Guyana,” President Granger said.

He noted that Dr Norton joined the APNU as leader of the Guyana Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), adding that he has wide knowledge of the Hinterland. He explained that cohesion has a spatial dimension and Dr Norton has an advantage in his knowledge of the Hinterland, noting that the government has always championed closing the gap between the interior locations and the coastland.

The President said that he is happy that Dr Norton has agreed to serve as Minister of Social Cohesion while noting that Lawrence has brought managerial skills to the Public Health Ministry and as such she is ideally suited to carry out the functions of her new portfolio.

He also pointed to the experience of the three ministers in the National Assembly as he spoke of Ally’s position as Government Chief Whip. President Granger expressed confidence that she will supplement the work carried out by Minister Lawrence.