Prime Minister John Briceno returned to the country today, and we were at the Philip Goldson International Airport waiting for him with one big question about Julius Espat. For a little over three months, Espat served as Minister of Home Affairs. In that time, police morale was said to be rising and infrastructure work was done, including on the roof of the Raccoon Street Police Station. Espat had also said he was prepared to take on the ministry permanently, noting on many occasions that he serves at the behest of the Prime Minister. So it surprised many when Michel Chebat was announced as the new minister responsible for police. Chebat now sits at the helm of the Ministry of National Security. Did the Prime Minister first offer the job to Espat, and did Espat turn it down? We put the question to him.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceno
“As I explained, Minister Espat, at the end of the day, preferred to stay where he was. When I first asked him to take over the ministry for the time being, he did it reluctantly, but he said, ‘You know, you are the Prime Minister and I am a team player, and I am going to do it and do it as best as I possibly can.’ I think he started to get the groove into it and what needed to be done. I think there was a lot of interest on his part. But we could not keep the BDF and the police separate, because we have limited resources. So he saw the importance of keeping both the BDF and Police together under one ministry, and it would be way too much for him to do that and infrastructure development and housing all in one.”
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