House of Representatives 2008 - 2013

Hon. Dean O. Barrow Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Queen's Square

Hon. Gaspar Vega Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Orange Walk North

Hon. Bernard Q. A. Pitts Attorney General

Hon. Douglas Singh Minister of Police and Public Safety UDP (Leader of Government Business)

Hon. Wilfred Elrington Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Pickstock

Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture Belize Rural South

Hon. Melvin Hulse Minister of Transport, Communications and National Emergency Management Stann Creek West

Hon. Pablo Marin Minister of Health Corozal Bay

Hon. Carlos Perdomo Minister of Defense and Immigration Caribbean Shores

Hon. Patrick Faber Minister of Education and Youth Collet

Hon. Rene Montero Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Cayo Central

Hon. Michael Finnegan Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mesopotamia

Hon. Peter Eden Martinez Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation Toledo East

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez Minister of Works Port Loyola

Hon. John Saldivar Minister of the Public Service, Governance Improvement, Elections & Boundaries and Sports Belmopan

Hon. Erwin Contreras Minister of Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Consumer Protection Cayo West

Hon. Gabriel Martinez Minister of Labour, Local Gov't and Rural Development Corozal South West

Hon. Elvin Penner Minister of Public Utilities and Information and Broadcasting Cayo North East

Hon. Juan Coy Minister of State/ Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation Toledo West

Minister of State/Ministry of Works

Hon. Michael Hutchinson Minister of State/Ministry of Local Gov't and Rural Develop Belize Rural Central

Hon. Arthur William Roches Minister of State/Ministry of Health Dangriga

Hon. Marco Pech Minister of State/Ministry of Natural Resources Orange Walk South

Hon. Salvador Fernandez Cayo North

Hon. Nemencio Acosta Corozal North

Hon. Marcel Cardona Orange Walk East

Hon. Ramon Witz Cayo South

Hon. Edmund George Castro Belize Rural North

Hon. John Briceno Leader of Opposition Orange Walk Central

Hon. Said Musa Fort George

Hon. Francis Fonseca Freetown

Hon. Mark Espat Albert

Hon. Cordel Hyde Lake Independence

Hon. Florencio Marin Jr. Corozal South East

Mr. Emil Arguelles Speaker of the House of Representatives

Cabinet 2008 - 2013

Hon. Dean O. Barrow Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Queen's Square

Hon. Gaspar Vega Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Orange Walk North

Hon. Bernard Q. A. Pitts Attorney General

Hon. Douglas Singh Minister of Police and Public Safety UDP (Leader of Government Business)

Hon. Wilfred Elrington Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Foreign Trade and Culture Pickstock Belize Rural South

Hon. Melvin Hulse Minister of Transport, Communications and National Emergency Management Stann Creek West

Hon. Pablo Marin Minister of Health Corozal Bay

Hon. Carlos Perdomo Minister of Defense and Immigration Caribbean Shores

Hon. Rene Montero Hon. Patrick Faber Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Education and Youth Fisheries Collet Cayo Central

Hon. Michael Finnegan Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mesopotamia

Hon. Peter Eden Martinez Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation Toledo East

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez Minister of Works Port Loyola

Hon. John Saldivar Minister of the Public Service, Governance Improvement, Elections & Boundaries and Sports Belmopan

Hon. Erwin Contreras Minister of Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Consumer Protection Cayo West

Hon. Gabriel Martinez Minister of Labour, Local Gov't and Rural Development Corozal South West

Hon. Elvin Penner Minister of Public Utilities and Information and Broadcasting Cayo North East

Hon. Arthur William Roches Hon. Juan Coy Hon. Michael Hutchinson Minister of State/Ministry of Health Minister of State/ Minister of State/Ministry of Dangriga Ministry of Human Development Local Gov't and Rural and Social Transformation Develop Toledo West Belize Rural Central

Minister of State/Ministry of Works Hon. Marco Pech Minister of State/Ministry of Natural Resources

Orange Walk South

Our Constitution provides for the appointment of a Prime Minister by the Governor-General from among members of the House of Representatives who in his/her opinion is considered the leader of the political party which commands the support of the majority of the members of the House. If it happens that no political party has an overall majority, the Governor-General appoints a member of the House who appears to him/her most likely to command the support of the majority of the members in the House. The Cabinet, which is the chief policy-making body in the Government machinery, is made up of persons who formulate the policy and programme of the Government and is headed by the Prime Minister. These persons are drawn from the National Assembly, which comprises both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Prime Minister holds discussions with various elected members of his party and then submits a list of names of Representatives and/or Senators he wants to serve on his Cabinet. The GovernorGeneral then appoints the persons the Prime Minister desires, and makes them responsible for the Ministries which the Prime Minister has decided on. The Government then is really the Cabinet and consists of the Prime Minister and other Ministers, all of whom are collectively responsible for every part of the Government's administration. Each Minister is given certain departments, for which he is responsible to the Prime Minister and the National Assembly. It is the Prime Minister then that actually appoints the other Ministers and who may also require them to resign. All Ministers must be members of either the House of Representatives or the Senate and a Minister may speak only in the House of which he is a member. The Minister must be prepared to speak on behalf of his own Ministry or for any part of the Government's field of responsibility. They must all defend the policy of the Government in both of the Houses. They may disagree inside the Cabinet but once a vote is taken each and everyone is obliged to defend that policy and it is never known, or should never be known, that any of them did not agree with this or that policy. In the event that a Minister feels so strongly against a policy that he does not intend to defend it in the National Assembly or in private and public, it is normal for him to resign as a Minister of the Cabinet. If not, the Prime Minister may call on him to do so. In theory, the Cabinet is responsible to the National Assembly, and through the National Assembly to the people, who may call it to account at the next general election by giving a majority to the other party. The Cabinet works in great secrecy. No outside person is allowed to see any Cabinet papers until they have become only of historical interest, and no member of the Cabinet may refer outside to the discussions that have taken place in the Cabinet. This rule is strictly observed, and if it can be proved that a Minister has made known to outsiders any of the secret discussions he is liable to prosecution, and if found guilty by the Court can be sent to prison.