Marcel Cardona loses portfolio in Cabinet reshuffle

For weeks speculation had been rife that a Cabinet reshuffle would be imminent after the municipal elections. Well today, the first order of business, even before Cabinet met, was the announcement of the anticipated reshuffle, the first for the Barrow Administration. It did not amount to a major shake up in Belmopan and the loser is Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Marcel Cardona, who has been removed from Cabinet and will now sit in the back bench. According to a statement from the Government Press Office, effective today, Cardona’s ministries have been split between Minister of State in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Elvin Penner and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia. Penner has been promoted to Minister of Youth, Sports, Information and Broadcasting, while Heredia was given responsibility for Culture. Moving into Penner’s former state position is Area Rep for Orange Walk South, Marco Pech. Cardona declined an interview and said that he would issue a release later, but up to news time he had not. The official announcement states the changes were made in the interest of the smooth functioning of the business of government. However, it’s not far fetched to believe that the dressing down has something to do with the public spat last December between Cardona and his NICH President, Diane Haylock over her decision to sign a concession agreement without conferring with him. Things turned ugly with Cardona and the NICH Board calling for Haylock’s termination, the NICH administrator resigning his post, and members of the board at one point locking Haylock out of her office. After appearing in front of the Cabinet ministers to defend her actions, Haylock was not fired, but rather suspended for a month, much to Cardona’s embarrassment, who also had to publicly apologize to the P.M. There are also copies of text messages of a rift between Cardona and the Deputy Prime Minister, which showed the big divide in Orange Walk Town and where on March fourth, the day of the Municipal Elections, Cardona voted and was not seen for the rest of the day in the hotly contested Louisiana area.