Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Minutes after being sworn in as this country's first female prime minister on Wednesday, Kamla Persad-Bissessar immediately got down to business to deal with the perennial problem of flooding.

She met with head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) Colonel George Robinson and permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Sandra Marchack at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Knowsley, Port of Spain, soon after she was sworn in by President George Maxwell Richards, using the Bhagavad Gita, at the same venue.

Heavy rainfall on Wednesday caused flooding in various parts of the country.

During that meeting, Persad-Bissessar ensured line ministries had deployed personnel as well as other support to assist flood victims. Persad-Bissessar was scheduled to tour affected areas from 10 a.m.

In her address as this country's new prime minister on?Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar asked all specially invited guests to forgive her for foregoing the usual celebration ceremony, so she could meet with Robinson and Marchack.

She said some MPs had already toured some of the affected areas and a report was compiled.

Persad-Bissessar said the flooding situation underlined the need for a new Government to fast-track all assessments and begin the process of short- and long-term implementation in many areas, including drainage and irrigation. She said MPs will be out today in their constituencies to attend to the people's business and tomorrow, members of the Cabinet will be sworn in at 10 a.m.

In her address, Persad-Bissessar also announced a number of changes to come under the People's Partnership Government. These include;

- The establishment of a Ministry for Tobago Development

- The establishment of a Ministry of Food Production

- An early budget

- Parliamentary reform under the Office of the Prime Minister

Persad-Bissessar, dressed in a green skirt and blouse, told the audience, who were all jam-packed into the small space at Knowsley, her political life and service to the people of this nation had been a journey which spanned 24 years.

'Today, it gives me great pleasure to address you for the first time, fellow citizens, all, as prime minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. You know this has been quite a journey for me. It's the summary of a life in public office which spans 24 years... As you all know, I was elected on the 24th of February (it was really January) this year as political leader of the UNC (United National Congress), on the 24th of March, my parliamentary colleagues ensured that I became the Leader of the Opposition and now, I humbly receive the honour to be elected prime minister on May 24 after 24 years of public service. Maybe there's some magic in the number 24,' she said. Her husband, Dr Gregory Bissessar and son, Kris, as well as her sister, Wattie Newton, were present to witness the ceremony.

Persad-Bissessar said she now bears an enormous responsibility to take this country forward and address the urgent social and economic issues at hand.

'Change has, indeed, come,' she said, adding that time has come to open a new chapter in this nation's history.

'Today, we start the work of transforming the hope and promise of change into the reality of change, and so while we leave behind us some of the euphoria and emotion of election, what we do not stray from is the unity the election has brought and forged here in our land.

'Today, we leave the labels behind, we move forward as a nation, all committed to the same goal, a safer, more prosperous and just Trinidad and Tobago where we all have opportunity and equality, and so I say, no more labels, no more prefixes of Afro- and Indo- and North and South and East-West Corridor and Tobago. The election is over.'

Persad-Bissessar said the People's Partnership would not exclude anyone, and she will work towards reversing the order of 'top-down Government' to one for all the people. She said the task ahead is challenging but said she was ready to build this country and improve the lives of the people.

Development, she said, would not be measured by tall buildings but by human development, safety and security, health and education and the steps the new Government takes to deal with social issues such as poverty, domestic violence and child abuse.

Persad-Bissessar said performance will be driven and, therefore, ministries will be targeted to give an account on specific deliverables within a timeframe, and at the same time, results will be measured and persons can be held accountable to meeting the goals and objectives.

'Under the Office of the Prime Minister, special emphasis will be placed on restoring the dignity and effectiveness of Parliament. In this context, as we pledged, I say today, as your prime minister, that the Red House will remain the seat of the Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,' she said.