Document #1023169
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The following list of ministers in the government of Trinidad and Tobago is extracted from The Europa World Year Books 1998-2000.
Ministry
Persad-Bissessar
Maharaj
Joseph Theodore
same
same
Finance &
Tourism
Brian Kuei Tung
same
same
Agriculture
Lands & Marine
Resources
Reeza Mohammed
same
Trevor Sudama
John Humphrey
same
same
Public Admin.
& Information
Wade Mark
same
same
Persad-Bisessar
Mervyn Assam
same
Mervyn Assam
Labour &
Cooperatives
Harry Partap
same
same
Community Dev.
Culture & Women's
Affairs
Dr. Daphne Phillips
same
same
Finbar K Gangar
same
same
Pamela Nicholson
same
Manohar Ramsaran
Minister in the
Office of the Prime
Minister with
Responsibilities for
the environment
Vincent Lasse
same
Reeza Mohammed
Minister in the
Office of the Prime
Minister with respon-
sibilities for
istance Learning,
Telecommunications,
And employment
Rupert Griffith
same
same
Lindsay Gillette
According to information posted on the
Website of the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in Ottawa, the
following is the "New Cabinet" (n.d).
Hon. Ramesh Maharaj
Communications and Information
Technology
Hon. Ralph Maraj
Community, Empowerment
Sport and Consumer Affairs
Hon. Manohar Ramsaran
Sen. the Hon. Lindsay Gillette
Enterprise Development,
Foreign Affairs and Tourism
Hon. Mervyn Assam
Hon. Trevor Sudama
Hon. Ganga Singh
Infrastructure Development
And local government
Hon. Carlos John
Integrated Planning and
Development
Hon. John Humphrey
Labour, Manpower Development
And Industrial Relations
Hon. Harry Parta
Transport
National Security
Sen. The Hon. Jearlean John
According to The Europa World Year Book 1998 (3342), 1999 (3490), and 2000 (3594), the Minister of Public Utilities was Ganga Singh. However, according to People in Power (1 May 2001, 188), and to the Websites of the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (n.d) and the CIA, Ganga Singh is now the Minister of Human Development, Youth and Culture (26 Feb. 2001). None of these sources lists a Public Utilities Minister (ibid., High Commission of Trinidad & Tobago, n.d., People in Power 1 May 2001, 188).
No information on an investigation concerning ministers suspected of involvement in money laundering or drug trafficking could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information might be useful. The Latin American Caribbean & Central America Report, states that police accused former Minister of Local Government in the 1998 -1999 cabinet, Dhanaj Singh, of "receiving kickbacks of up to 50 percent of the value of contracts awarded by his ministry to a contractor, Karmchand Pampersad (3 Mar. 2001, 3). An earlier issue alleges that Prime Minister Panday dismissed Dhanraj Singh on 12 October 2000, when he [Dhanraj] declared his intention not to contest his seat in the 2001 general election (ibid. 31 Oct. 2000, 3).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
CIA Website. 2 February 2001. "Trinidad
and Tobago." http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/chiefs177.html
[Accessed: 20 Aug. 2001]
The Europa World Year Book
1998-2000. 1998-2000. 42-44th ed. Vol. 2. London: Europa
Publications.
Latin American Caribbean &
Central America Report [London]. 27 March 2001.
RC-01-03. "Dhanraj Singh."
_____. 31 October 2001. RC-00-09.
"Minister Sacked."
People in Power. 1 May 2001.
Release No. 84. CIRCA.
Trinidad and Tobago High Commission,
Ottawa. n.d. "New Cabinet Appointed." http://www.ttmissions.com/newsletter/appointedmins.html
[Accessed: 20 Aug. 2001]
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998-2000.
1998-2001
.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean
Group [London]. 1998-2001.
IRB Databases.
Internet sites including:
Human Rights Watch.
US Bureau for International Narcotics
and Law enforcement Affairs
OECD
United Nations Office for Drug Control
and Crime Prevention.
Search engines including:
Google
Dogpile