Dr Andrew Wheatley has brushed aside questions about his return to Cabinet, urging Jamaicans to judge him on his performance as he pledged to deliver results in the portfolio assigned to him by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.

Wheatley was sworn in on Wednesday as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for science, technology and special projects, seven years after he resigned as minister of energy, science and technology amid a scandal relating to the operations of State-run oil refinery Petrojam.

The controversy, which involved allegations of nepotism, questionable spending, and governance breaches, led to sustained public pressure and his eventual departure from the executive.

Now, Wheatley finds himself back in Government with his reappointment already raising eyebrows.

However, when pressed about concerns surrounding his return, Wheatley showed little sign of unease, responding with just one message for his detractors: “Judge me on my performance as minister,” he told the Jamaica Observer after the swearing-in ceremony at King’s House, signalling that his focus would be on delivery rather than debate.

Outlining his priorities, Wheatley spoke of advancing Jamaica’s place in science and technology, stressing that Jamaicans must move beyond being passive consumers of innovation.

“As it relates to technology, we are going to ensure that we move our people, as I have stated over the years, from being mere consumers of technology to become innovators of technology. And from a scientific front, you know, I’m a scientist and I believe that we have to use scientific applications to ensure that we keep abreast with changing technologies. So these are some of the areas that we’ll be pushing in this coming term,” he said.

He further underscored the Government’s determination to make tangible progress in its third consecutive term, describing this period as a “critical phase” in the nation’s development.

“Having been in Government for three terms, the expectations are high and we are committed as a Government to ensure that we achieve those objectives, that we will move this country forward. Every term we have achieved quite a bit, and I believe that this term we will be achieving far more and I’m sure that Jamaicans, having seen us perform over the years and how we’re going to perform in this term, will want to ensure that we remain in Government, even for the fourth term,” he said.

Alongside Wheatley, former National Security Minister Robert Montague has also been reinstated in the Holness-led Cabinet as minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development responsible for Land Titling and Settlements.

His reappointment comes three years after his 2022 resignation following an Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority citing him for granting firearm permits to six people with criminal traces while he was national security minister.

The cases cited included applicants with histories of drug-related offences, illegal possession of firearms, lottery scamming, and fraud.

The findings provoked widespread criticism, given Jamaica’s ongoing struggles with violent crime and gun proliferation while civil society groups and members of the Opposition argued at the time that the revelations raised troubling questions about ministerial discretion and the transparency of the licensing process.

However, Montague described the Integrity Commission report as “grossly misrepresentative and incomplete”. He maintained that some of the applicants had no convictions, while others had their records expunged, and insisted that his actions were consistent with the discretion legally afforded to a minister under the Firearms Act. Nonetheless, the political fallout was swift, and he relinquished his Cabinet post.

Now, his return, alongside Wheatley’s, marks one of the more controversial aspects of Holness’s new executive. But unlike Wheatley, who spoke freely to the press after Wednesday’s swearing-in, Montague declined to answer questions from journalists, leaving without comment.

In the meantime, Ambassador Audrey Marks, who was reappointed to the Cabinet as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation, said she is eager to build on the initiatives she began during her previous tenure.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to settle down and continue the work that I’ve started in looking at how we can reform the bureaucracy and utilise technology to drive changes for more efficiency and for more first world standards so it’s easier to do business in Jamaica and also to have a higher level of service for all our people,” she told the Observer.

Marks, who is still new to representational politics, was initially appointed to the Cabinet in the same ministry in March this year and subsequently secured her parliamentary seat in Manchester North Eastern during the September 3 General Election.

She previously held diplomatic and business posts — including serving as ambassador to the United States.

On Wednesday, she noted that her exposure to governance and business practices in several first world countries has given her insights into the standards to which Jamaica should aspire, adding that modern technology now makes it possible to achieve these goals more quickly.

“I’ve had the exposure of many first world countries, so I see what the standards should be and now we’re in a time where there’s technology that can help drive us much quicker. We can leapfrog many of the ways that we used to do things to get to those standards. So I’m very enthused [and] I feel that this is the time and that we’ll be able to see tremendous transformation in how we provide services in Jamaica,” she said.

Robert Montague signs his oath after being sworn as a member of the new Cabinet at King’s House on Wednesday. He has been appointed minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development responsible for land titling and settlements.