2 months ago
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Former Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, is pushing back against public speculation that the recent Cabinet reshuffle amounted to a demotion for him. Musa, who now oversees the Ministry of Immigration, Labour, and Governance, says he does not share the view that his reassignment represents a step down.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration, Governance and Labour: “First and foremost, I think we have to acknowledge at all times that we are area representatives. All 31 of us who hold a very special place, a privileged place in this country. I am the representative for Caribbean Shores. That’s my primary role. Second to that, of course, is our ministerial appointments, if it is that the prime minister finds it that you are to be a minister. And so I look forward to this new role, the Ministry of Immigration, Labor and Governance as a new challenge for me, I look forward to it with great optimism. I know that it’s a lot of challenges over at the immigration ministry. Labor of course has its issues as well. And of course, the redistricting process that comes with governance. And so all of them, the Prime Minister said he would need my assistance, primarily because of my legal background, for us to navigate the way forward in these three very critical ministries. So I look at it as a promotion. Overall, I left the Ministry of Home Affairs in very able, qualified hands in Minister Mira, but I left it having done a pretty good job.”
Speaking on the matter, Musa emphasized that the ministries he now leads have historically been assigned to highly respected and influential Cabinet members, noting that Immigration, Labour, and Governance are critical areas of national development and public administration. He added that past ministers who held the portfolio carried significant responsibilities and played key roles in shaping national reforms.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration, Governance and Labour: “My five year tenure at the Ministry of Home Affairs was to build relationships not just with the excellent staff that I had at Home Affairs but the 2,600 police officers that I serve and who serve the public. I think it’s important for them to know how much I appreciate all of their hard work and dedication. Hence one of the primary purposes for me and one of the accomplishments was looking after the welfare of our officers, whether it is the land for officers program that we had, whether it’s creating the mental health at the Lotus Wellness Center, and also opening up the commissary to the police officer so that they can have access to duty-free items. In terms of the record as Minister of Home Affairs, I think it has been highlighted already that in the last three years we’ve been able to successfully reduce the number of homicides in the country. That is perhaps the most important metric that anybody uses across the world. We were once known to be the third most deadly country in this region in Latin America, and now that has moved all the way to 14. So I’m very proud of that accomplishment. If you look at illicit landings over the last three years, that has gone on significantly. And so I think we have a lot to be proud of in the Ministry of Home Affairs. I know we could go into all the construction that will now take place under CABEI, the new initiatives like non-lethal force with the pepper ball, securing bulletproof vests for all our police officers. There’s just so much that we can mention, but again, I want the officers to know that my door is always open to them if they ever need any advice and of course to the minister who now takes on this very critical role as a minister of home affairs.”
Musa maintains that he remains committed to serving wherever he is placed and views the new assignment as an opportunity to continue contributing to the country’s advancement. He says his focus now is on strengthening systems, improving efficiency, and ensuring fair and transparent governance within the ministries under his watch.
English (US) ·