Thank you for visiting WWW.BELGRAFIX.COM, "Grenada on the Internet, one byte at a time"

HOME	OCTOBER 01st, 2005

Cuban-trained economist Lennox Andrews will replace Timothy Antoine as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that Andrews has the backings of both Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and Finance Minister, Anthony Boatswain for the top public sector job.

Antoine is leaving the post at the end of next month after six years at the helm to take up an assignment with the Washington-based World Bank. A well-placed source who asked not to be named said that Andrews will be taking over the post of Permanent Secretary amidst predictions that next year could be tough financially for the island now trying to recover from the destruction caused by two hurricanes in the past year.

Andrews has been serving as the Number Two man in the Ministry of Finance for several years after a stint with the St. Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Antoine is known to have been approached by Prime Minister Mitchell to contest the rural St. Andrew South-east seat for his ruling New National Party (NNP) in the next general election, constitutionally due in 2008.

Sources have said that while he did not rule out the possibility, Andrews is meeting stiff resistance to run for the NNP from his wife who is reputed to be a strong supporter of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Andrews is said to have confided to close associates that his wife "is dead" against him running for the ruling party.

Prior to the last general election in November 2003, the NDC is known to have sent an emissary to Andrews to contest the seat for the island's main opposition grouping.

He declined and the Congress party eventually named former police officer, Kenrick Fullerton as its candidate and he went on to topple the incumbent, Co-operatives Minister, Cuthbert "O'Brian Mc Queen for the constituency. The source indicated that apart from the switch to Andrews from Antoine, the Mitchell government is also planning some administrative changes to help improve the performance of the Ministry of Finance.

He spoke of plans to have two Deputy Permanent Secretaries in place and for the appointment of a few other qualified persons to hold senior positions in the ministry.

According to the source, Comptroller of Customs, Carl Felix is being considered for one of the two Deputy Permanent Secretaries post in the Ministry of Finance. He also dropped hints that the contract will not be renewed for retired civil servant and former Minister of State for Finance, Patrick Bubb.

Bubb is currently serving with the Inland Revenue Department of the Ministry of Finance. In addition, a few civil servants who have been on secondment with the state-controlled Grenada Development Bank (GDB) will be returning to the newlook Ministry of Finance.