Agriculture Minister Dean Jonas has been relieved of his Ministerial Portfolio.
Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ambassador Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst confirmed moments ago that Jonas was dismissed as a government minister and also as a member of Cabinet.
This means going forward, Jonas will only sit in Parliament as the representative for St. George’s.
Over the weekend Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he had given Agriculture Minister Dean Jonas an ultimatum.
“Shape up or ship out,” Browne said he told Jonas in response to accusations that the Minister of Agriculture had not met the agriculture goals since his appointment one and half year ago.
“I had a real stern discussion with the agricultural Minister yesterday and I told him, you have to step up now. He has said to me that there would have been improvements. I am not necessarily doubting him. But I don’t believe that the objectives that we have set to increase agriculture significantly that those objectives have been met fully.”
Browne was at the time responding to comments made by United Progressive Party (UPP) Leader, Harold Lovell, that the agricultural sector is under-performing and admitted that, “I accept that we have not made enough progress.”
