Today's award ceremony gave us an opportunity to ask Minister Godwin Hulse about Tuesday's Cabinet Meeting, in which the decision was endorsed that Prime Minister Dean Barrow would remain as Prime Minister and as Leader of the United Democratic Party all the way up until the 2020 General Elections.
That dramatically alters the UDP leadership's trajectory. The original plan was that PM Barrow would retire early, and that Deputy PM Patrick Faber would ascend to the highest Government office going into the 2020 general elections. Thereafter, Faber and National Security Minister John Saldivar would have battled it out in a UDP leadership convention several months prior to that.
But, the Prime Minister is not going anywhere until the end of his Administration's current term in office, and today, the press asked Minister Godwin Hulse to comment on the change of plan. Here's what he had to say:
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture
"Quite frankly it was his decision. The constitution is absolutely clear, the prime minister stays until the general election is called, which finishes his 3rd term. He can run again, as an area representative. He is not going to do that as I understand it, but there is nothing to stop him. What he cannot be is prime minister a 4th time. It was his decision to demit office a little earlier, because of his health and physical condition. He has done his surgery, he is recuperating rather well and expressed his view that he would like to continue to the end of the term and all colleagues in cabinet supported that, including myself, very strongly. As you know the UDP constitution calls for a convention to choose a leader sometime before the end of the term and that will be a leader in waiting. That person will not necessarily assume the position of prime minister, unless of course somethings happened extraordinary and the prime minister will demit his office. The constitution is very clear on that. The leader of the party who has the majority in the house becomes the prime minister and if there is no such leader of the party then the governor general chooses the person who commands the support of the majority."
"To cut it short I fully support Prime Minister Barrow remaining there until the end of the term. Hopefully I remained there until the remainder of the term as well."
Reporter
"Some people perhaps saw it as a strategic move. Maybe the cabinet ministers didn't have that confidence or in the 2 candidates who have offered themselves: Minister Saldivar and Minister Faber."
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture
"I can't speak to that, but clearly when there are 2 candidates, there is a division between support. That is a natural factor of life and so it is not that there is not confidence with the 2, it can't be confidence with the 2. It has to be confidence with one or the other and we haven't come to that to choose a leader. But again, the prime minister's decision to remain on opens that door for anybody to jump in the fray down the road and another 3rd candidate may emerge. One doesn't know. But the heat to try to get a leader right now is off and that is good."
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