Dr. Ernest Peets, who was sacked by Bermuda Premier David Burt as Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport during a cabinet reshuffle last month, has now lost his seat as a Progressive Labour Party (PLP) senator in the Upper House.
Peets departed on Thursday when Burt announced Leslie Robinson as his replacement at a swearing-in ceremony at Government House where she was also given roles as the junior minister of Economy and Labour as well as Public Works.
Peets, a pastor, lost his posts as Government Leader in the Senate after Burt’s re-election as PLP leader and was replaced by Owen Darrell, the premier’s chief of staff.
When the premier was asked if the departure of Peets from the Senate and the firing of Lawrence Scott as Transport Minister from the cabinet took place because he did not think the two men supported him enough in the leadership race against ex-Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson, Burt told a news conference: “Certainly not. And, I don’t want it to be regarded as that.
“As I expressed to my parliamentary caucus, one of the most difficult things about being leader of the party is that you have to make difficult decisions when it comes to changing the team. And, so, from this perspective, it’s nothing in regards to that. It is about looking forward.”
After the reshuffle, Peets said he had believed he would remain in his cabinet post for at least another year, telling the Royal Gazette newspaper at the time “these changes, of course, I’ve been made to understand, do happen from time to time.
“I wasn’t aware with any significant advance notice that a cabinet reshuffle was going to occur, but I would imagine, given the situation of the last couple of weeks with the leadership challenge and other things, perhaps those people who are more astute politically would have sort of expected a change to come.”
Kim Swan, a former United Bermuda Party leader and now a PLP legislator, was appointed as the junior minister for Youth, Culture and Sport at Thursday’s ceremony.
CMC/
