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PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar 17 2016 – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Thursday night fired his Housing and Urban Development Minister Marlene Mc Donald following media reports that she had flouted Parliament rules governing the hiring of constituency staff.
In a brief statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, Rowley said that he had advised President Anthony Carmona to revoke her appointment and also announced that he was making a minor re-shuffle of his six month old administration.
Rowley moved against McDonald —one of his very few senior ministers—following Wednesday’s news report on alleged breach of Parliament rules and claims that McDonald’s common-law spouse Michael Carew and his brother Lennox were hired among 13 members of her constituency office over several years in the last term.
It was reported that Michael Carew worked at the office from June 2010 to September 2015, earning the second highest salary of $13,400 monthly for the entire constituency term, while his brother has been working at the office since 2011 and received $14,000 in salary.
But according to the Parliament’s 2010-2015 (Tenth Parliament) manual on rules for engagement of constituency staff, MPs are restricted from employing relatives as employees in their constituency offices and such relatives are described as (a) spouses, (b) co-habitants, (c) children/step children/adopted children/grandchildren, (d) parents, step parents/grandparents, (e) siblings, (nephews/nieces), (f) uncles/aunts, (g) cousins. The 2015-2020 (11th Parliament) manual also states MPs aren’t allowed to hire relatives at their constituency offices.
McDonald is the first casualty of the six-month old People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.
She has been replaced by Randall Mitchell who used to hold the Public Administration portfolio which has now been added to Communications.
Her firing means Prime Minister Rowley has reduced his Cabinet by one, making it 22.
McDonald remains Member of Parliament for Port of Spain South.
