PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday completed her ministerial appointments with the naming of 12 junior ministers, who will be working with the 14 Cabinet ministers sworn-in last Friday.

The 12, who will be sworn-in at Kings House this morning, include two former government backbenchers who supported the prime minister in the race for leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP). They are Central Kingston MP Victor Cummings and North West Clarendon MP Richard Azan, both of whom were first elected to Parliament in 2002.

Cummings’ elevation came as some surprise after his political prospects took a nosedive six months ago when former PNP MP for Central Kingston, Ronnie Thwaites, defeated him in the race for chairmanship of the constituency and seemed likely to replace him as the party’s candidate for the next general elections. This promotion now raises the spectre of a continued struggle for the seat which has been won by the PNP each election since 1989.

Cummings has been assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture and Land, while Azan will be at the Ministry of Housing, Transport and Works.

In another surprise move, Dr Donald Rhodd, an ophthalmologist, was switched from the former Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, where he focused on youth, to the Ministry of National Security where he replaces Derrick Kellier, the new minister of labour and social security.

Senator Kern Spencer, who had been parliamentary secretary for national security, is to become the new minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology.

Harry Douglas, who was minister of state in the Ministry of Water and Housing, will now join the new Ministry of Housing, Transport and Works. Dr Fenton Ferguson, who had been minister of state in transport and works since 2002, will now join the Ministry of Health.

Fitz Jackson, Errol Ennis, Senator Noel Monteith, Senator Floyd Morris, Senator Delano Franklyn and Dr Wykeham McNeil will remain at their former ministries – Finance and Planning, Agriculture and Land, Education and Youth, Labour and Social Security, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and a greatly reduced Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, respectively.

The full list of ministers of State is:

. Fitz Jackson – Finance and Planing;

. Errol Ennis and Victor Cummings – Agriculture and Land;

. Noel Monteith – Education and Youth;

. Floyd Morris – Labour and Social Security;

. Donald Rhodd – National Security;

. Kern Spencer- Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology;

. Delano Franklyn – Foreign Affairs and

Foreign Trade;

. Richard Azan and Harry Douglas- Housing, Transport and Works;

. Wykeham McNeill – Tourism, Entertainment and Culture; and

. Fenton Ferguson – Health.