While he holds no degree to his name, Alliance For Change (AFC) Treasurer and former Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, believes his 40 years of working in the manufacturing sector making jewellery and his four years as Business Minister are enough to qualify him to hold his new title of Director of Manufacturing and Marketing.
At a press conference this morning, Gaskin was made to defend the reassignment by President David Granger after facing questions from the media.
Gaskin was asked to say if he feels the government is setting a dangerous precedent that could be exploited if it loses the next elections. It was explained to the AFC executive member that the government created a post which had not existed and which was not advertised, thereby calling into question its relevance since the government functioned for four years without it.
The politician said he made it clear from the inception that he was not looking for anything following his resignation as minister. He reminded that his resignation was triggered by the court’s ruling that a sitting Member of Parliament cannot hold dual citizenship status.
He said, however, that the government understood that he still had a willingness to serve in any capacity. As for the new position, Gaskin said he believes that the areas of manufacturing and marketing require dedicated attention.
“In terms of my qualifications, I don’t pretend to have any like others. I don’t have degrees before or after my name. However, I have spent the last 40 years in manufacturing and I understand a thing or two about the business and the challenges faced by the sector, what needs to be done and what is needed to make the sector more competitive,” Gaskin, now 57 years old, stated.
Considering his belief that the manufacturing sector needs special attention, Gaskin was challenged to say why the position was not filled or advertised for during his tenure as minister.
The director admitted that, indeed, this should have been the case but it was the resignation of himself and others which created an opportunity for reassessment. He said that President Granger, in his wisdom, identified areas of deficiency, with the manufacturing sector being one of them.
“I would be the first to accept that that was my responsibility as minister but I was not able to dedicate that attention,” he concluded on the matter.
