Furbert/Shakir Replaced By Rabain/Ingham
[Updated with videos] Government Senators Laverne Furbert and Cromwell Shakir have been dropped from the Upper House, and replaced by political newcomers Diallo Rabain and A.L. Vince Ingham.
Mr Ingham is the President and CEO of Ascendant Group Limited, the parent company of operating companies BELCO, Bermuda Gas & Utility Company Limited, PureNERGY, Media Release Renewables Ltd., Sigma Corporate Services Company Limited and inVenture Limited, as well as BELCO Properties Limited and BTS Limited. He is due to retire from the position on March 31, 2012 – and is making his first foray into the political landscape.
Mr Ingham graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science degree and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Technical College, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Nova University.
Commencing his career in the electric utility business over 30 years ago, he first joined Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) in 1972 as an engineer and soon after achieved his status as a professional engineer. In 1980 he joined Conyers Dill & Pearman, a leading Bermuda law firm, as Corporate Manager.
He returned to BELCO in 1986. Over the next twenty years at BELCO, he was awarded several promotions, and rose to the role of President & Chief Executive Officer in 2007. In January 2008 he was appointed to his current position of President & Chief Executive Officer of the Ascendant Group.
Mr. Rabain was recently selected to stand as the Progressive Labour Party candidate for Constituency #7 Hamilton South, besting incumbent MP Darius Tucker — who was originally elected under the Unuited Bermuda Party’s banner.
Mr. Rabain was educated at Elliot Primary School, Saltus Grammar School and Florida A&M University, graduating in 1995 with a BSc in Electronic Engineering Tech. He is currently a partner in a small, Bermudian-owned architectural drafting and land surveying company that was incorporated over 10 years ago.
Mr. Rabain has just completed serving his second term as the president of Bermuda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and has served on numerous Government and Private Boards, including the Board of Education, The Bermuda Government Scholarship Committee and CURE.
Currently he is a member of the Road Safety Council, the Architectural Advisory Council, National Training Board Awards Committee and a Board Member of The NTB and as the Chairman of the Community Service Award for the Annual Outstanding Teen Awards.
Ms Furbert and Mr Shakir lost their places in the Progressive Labour Party’s five-person Senate team as part of pre-election changes by Premier Paula Cox — changes which also saw her shuffle a number of Cabinet positions.
Pointing out it was the first anniversary of her election as Party Leader and Premier, Ms Cox recently told the PLP banquet: ”As we look forward — a year has passed. A year gives you the chance to get into a rhythm, a year also allows you to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and also the weaknesses within.
“And it also gives you a launching pad for taking some risk, and also taking some bold steps. Not everything and not everyone will like it but it will be the benchmark because now a year is under one’s belt and it’s time to move on, and time to also shake it up a bit.”
After taking office last year, Ms Cox replaced three of predecessor Dr. Ewart Brown’s Senate appointees, dropping Walton Brown, Thaoo Dill and Marc Bean to make way for Ms Furbert, businessman and former PLP chairman David Burt and PLP stalwart Cromwell Shahkir.
Update 3.31pm: Mr Ingham has been named as Junior Minister of Business Development and Tourism; Health; and Public Works. Mr Rabain has been named as Junior Minister of Education and Youth, Families and Sport
Update 5.39pm:: Video of Mr Rabain speaking about his appointment
Video of Mr Ingham speaking about his appointment:
Update 6.10pm: Video of the Premier speaking:
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Articles that link to this one:
- Ingham Selected As PLP Candidate : Bernews.com | November 16, 2011
- Former Sen. Vince Ingham Resigns From PLP | Bernews.com | April 9, 2013
Vince Ingham – LOL…
Whats wrong with Vince Ingham??? only foolish people laugh at things they dont fully understand. so keep laughing when you get a jolt of intelligence then write something worthwhile.
CONGRATS TO RABAIN AND TO INGHAM WELL DONE
Well done for sure…
Vince Ingham is a good guy, but don’t forget everyone’s entitled to their opinion whether you agree or not.
yep….bring the party back from the brink of disaster by using conservative progressive thinkers….now show me the recovery plan before the election
Yo all clogged up, being that I have been around Vince ingham my whole life, I can tell you there is nothing conservative about him.. The right term is innovative. Bermuda will be in better hands period with people like him trying to get things done. Doesnt matter what party you are with he is going to look out for bermuda
This lady is good at picking up and dropping…. Picking up and dropping along with flip flopping!!!!
@CANCER– the last few blogs you have annhilated and lambast the decisions of the current Premier, none of which have any bearings on what is to be expected of the future….. That being said, out of all the comments made, WHAT DO YOU THINK should be DONE?
Who do you think should be appointed? What pool should she pull from?
A peferct mix of youth and experience. Well done premier, well done PLP.
Congrats to the new Senators!
I agree. The new faces, especially with the experience of Vince is most welcome. A couple more to go and I’d actually begin to have a little faith.
No matter what the PLP or Premier Cox does it will never be APPROVED OR RESPECTED by the PLP haters. All year long people have been complaining about the Ministers in their various capacities and the useless jobs that they are doing, and now that the Premier has made changes to her cabinet you people are still not happy. Continue to hate, that is your role.
CONGRATULATIONS VINCE AND MARC AND ALL THE OTHER APPOINTEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m almost speechless.
Just when I thought the PLP was on a roll they go on an even bigger roll!
Vince Ingham is a Giant in Business and Diallo is well known in the community, this is the right direction for the PLP to go!
I wonder what the haters will find to pick at now
Warning: (don’t throw stones when your leader has a glass house!)
I will love to see Laverne Furbert’s defense on this one LOL
Actually, both of them are very dear friends of mine. Vince and I have been friends since Berkeley days and I’ve admired Diallo’s drive and have told him so on more than one occasion.
Are you saying they are better choices then you and Mr. Shakir?
I said that both are very good friends of mine. Each individual brings something different to the table, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand that.
Both Vince and Diallo are two men that I admire and respect.
LaVerne Furbert
So they are far superior to you the? Thanks for clearing that up
Laverne,
give the diplomacy a break, you have repeatedly said these young people must go and sit down and wait their turn, supposedly because you Honey and others fought the good fight against the Oppressors. After Constituency 6 its time for you to go and sit down and pass the baton to the next Generation, bright people like your Son, who’s energy and intellect our Island so badly needs. too many of you were motivated by the power and salaries of politics, with no real intention to do the right thing for the people you claim to be fighting for. you are broken, write a book and forgive people, dont die with all that hate bottled up inside.
If you think so much of my son, why would you continue to insult his mother? He is what he is because of his upbringing. One thing I know for certain, you would not see him posting anonymously and insulting anyone’s mother.
“One thing I know for certain, you would not see him posting anonymously”
Which son are you referring to? The one behind this anonymous blog: http://bermudastr8nochaser.blogspot.com/ ?
I respected you for quite sometime, for your ability to back your PLP in anything they did. Now I see your ability to avoid a very pointed question on a decsion made by the PLP to drop you. Loyalty is a great thing, but yours is sad. So you are correct, I don’t understand.
this is the first news that is palatable.
As a shareholder of Ascendant Group I sincerely hope that Mr Ingham is forgoing 20% of his salary and benefits for the time he will be out of the office.
He is paid a salary to do a full time job.
@cashing in – funny when all the OBA employed at other organizations, you have not called for this. Boy the more I live the more I see “they have rules for them and another set for us” but will call us racist if we call them out on this.
I think you are missing the point, Ascendant is a publicly quoted company not a private enterprise.
You may want to read the laws of the country. All companies are required to pay people for their service in parliament or regiment.
The article also highlighted that he is due to retire in March 2012.. Perhaps an early retirment may lie in wait. Give it a break…
I wonder if LaWerne will be posting here more because she now has more time on her hands or if she will be posting less because her beloved Pee El Pee pulled a Judas on her?
The Ascendant Group Limited confirmed on October 10 that Mr. Ingham was leaving the company and they were conducting a search for a new CEO
Why would someone who had only very recently assumed the role of CEO (after waiting years for Gary to retire) be so quickly replaced?
I thought he was on the payroll til March 2012
Cashing in, is only openly open to crash in on the PLP. His precious OBAers can do no wrong because they are the so called bermuda saviors.LMAO NEVER SUPPORTING OBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO GLADE THAT FURBERT AND SHAHKIR IS GONE THANK YOU PREMIER WELL DONE!!!!!!
I am of the opinion that the Premier is doing her best to pick some quality individuals. Recognizing the reality that she has to work within her options, I think she has done a good job with her Senate picks. The shuffle of MPs is whatever but I see she is supplementing the perceived lack of experience with some Minister with “Junior” Ministers that have a good bit of experience behind them. Congratulations to all new apointees.
That said, I will not consider supporting this Government until the PLP stops protecting, covering up and pushing aside the details of the shady deals that went down. If you want my vote, you will have to continue to clean house and I want to see some criminal convictions where appropriate. Until that day, all the talk of transparency and accountability is a farce and will fall on deaf ears. Now is the time to exhibit this “testicular fortitude’ that I hear so much about. Above that, I am calling MORAL COURAGE to do what is right. people should not illegally propser off of the backs of tax payers.
Let’s have it !
“Service is the Rent we pay for the Privilege of Living on this Earth—Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm.
Premier Cox I think this is a good selection, as these two individual understand that it is about service to their country. Congratulations to Mr.Ingham and Mr. Rabain. The future is looking even brighter than before !!
So are the new senators better than LaWerne and Cromvell?
I would like to think that their background and familiarity within the community speaks volumes especially since they are coming with a wealth of knowledge and not shooting from the hip like their predecessors.
Thank you Premier for kicking LaVerne out of the Senate. Her type of crazy talk was troubling.
Congratulations to the new senators… an excellent selection by the PLP for a change.
Well said. 2 good choices for a change.
Both are good choices,however anyone is better than the “Defender” aka “8 votes.”
I will never understand why Paula Cox ,selected Lavern and Cromwell to be senators in her Government !!!these two should never been placed in such an important position…
Well the OBA senate choices seems like the UBP of old. Same choices Swan made as leader – Dunkley & Fahy and the snake header lady Jeanne. May just have to consider the PLP as an alternative because OBA ain’t saying nothing new
Madamn Premier Dumped Lavern , Madamn Premier Dumped Crumywell , She Dumped Neletha , can’t say I blame her , She Dumped T.L. out of spite . She shows no fear or favor .
Senator Robain is a great pick !!!
A great start Premier Cox…now you should consider finding a way to replace certain PSs, Heads of Department and senior managers in the civil service since you are now operating on ‘SMART POWER’! First I thought you meant smart with the mouth but after seeing your choice of replacement Senators, I soon realized that you meant smart intellectually. Congratulations Diallo and Vince!
Well said!
Already happening… And demotions are also underway.
Oooooh spill the beans lol
Good Morning Bermuda,
I need to share something with all of you who frequent Bernews and post comments – especially those who post anonymously on here and other blogs.
Let me start by saying thank you to the Senators who will not be returning to the legislature today. They all served at the will and pleasure of their Leader and I know that all of them had Bermuda’s interest at heart.
Let me comment on them individually:
Personally, Ms. Laverne Furbert is fiercely partisan and loyal to the Plp. She is also one who has worked long and hard to make it possible for the Plp to become government in 1998. I respect her and appreciate her even though we have had many disagreements.
Mr. Cromwell Shakir has made a great contribution to the Bermuda communities that he has participated. As a social activist he used his vast experience and poured his heart into his deliberations as a Senator. He is an unselfish team player, and I recall one example of him giving way to El James in 98′ to allow the Plp to run a James/Brown duo against our (ubp) Sharpe/Edness and the rest is history.
Dr. Michelmore performance impressed me as an issue driven Opposition Senator and her short tenure is unfortunate as Bermuda needs more issue driven politicians.
I enjoy reading Bernews but must confess that the toxic exchanges I read here on the comment section are disturbing at best. Although, it is a reflection of the society we are living in in Bermuda, we must all raise ourselves to a higher plane.
If we can agree that we want and deserve the best Bermuda can be, let us start by becoming the Bermuda we want to leave behind.
Peace and Love Bermuda,
Kim Swan MP
St. George’s West #2
Whilst I whole heartedly agree with you Mr. Swan, the importance of the members of the Government to lead by example cannot be overstated.
“toxic exchanges” ? now where have i heard that phrase before? oh right…..Dr. Brown used it regularly to describe the media environment in Bermuda. Maybe now that you’ve seen it for a year when he’s been silent and that Kim has said it, you’ll believe it.
Speaking of the doc what happened to the bullet…………….
LOL
Brilliant post Sir.
Dear Mr. Swan,
I appreciate your insight and statesmanship like stance.
I would like to ask you if you are going to join the PLP or the OBA or continue to sit/run as a UBP MP?
So Kim reading between the lines are you now going to join Wayne and whatever the other guys name is who crossed the floor?
Thanks Kim, I agree with all of the above. I have little respect for anonymous bloggers. In my opinion they are all cowards.
I would go a step further and say I have no respect, in most instances, for anonymous bloggers who as you have rightly pointed out are indeed cowards. In a country like Bermuda for someone to post anonymously is the epitome of cowardliness.
If one does not have the guts to sign their name to their comments then they should not write. This is especially true for those launching vicious personal attacks against anyone who disagrees with their position. It’s comparable to shooting arrows in the dark at unsuspecting victims.
I can appreciate that there are circumstances in which a blogger feels the need to hide behind a pen name but those who do so justifiably are a very small peercentage.
What do you think of people that use Crime Stoppers than? Are they cowards as well?
That’s a totally different context. Please read the last sentence of my original e-mail.
Greetings Mr. Swan, Mr. Marshall & Ms. Furbert (respectively),
I have read the number of comments (attacks thrown at individuals/party/etc) under a pseudo name, however, there are some of us who opt to use the latter because of our employment positions within government. It would be a matter of conflict and interest to post a blog (positive/negative) attaching a name with our fate lying in wait.
With that being said, being a Senator, MP is often a thankless job coupled with an insurmountable amount of pressure to perform. So, thank all of you for your time served and contribution to the well-being of Bermuda.
Point taken. Those thousands of civil servants do have a right to express themselves onder pen names considering their circumstances.
However, when doing so even they should not launch personal attacks as it is unfair to those whom they are targetting.
Mr. Furbert, you will be more effective if you had more tact.
Cowards are those that can not answer staight forward questions
That’s one description.
In that case it must follow that you have no respect for “Bud”, the famous minister in disguise?
I have no idea who “Bud” is although I see that there has been much discussion about him/her on BIAW. I stand by my comment that anonymous bloggers in the main are cowardly people. As far as the remarks about civil servants, the Bermuda Constitution gives Bermudians the right of freedom of speech. Additionally civil servants are represented by the BPSU, so if anyone is dismissed unfairly, there is recourse, but I doubt if the majority of bloggers here and elsewhere are civil servants.
Republican Presidential candidate, Herman Cain is now complaining about the “high tech lynching” he is receiving in the U.S. Certainly those of us who are PLP members and supporters daily receive “high tech lynching” on this site and others. You “cyber lynched the former premier, and now you are doing the same thing to Premier Cox, her ministers and anyone else that comments in support of the Progressive Labour Party government. It’s disgusting!!
But it’s ok for “Bud” to do some name calling? Believe me LaVerne, you know him.
LaVerne, a serious point. A lot of people on both sides here aren’t using their real names, and I know that means their comments are often going to be less tactful as a result. That’s life these days when you have this kind of forum.
But I’m wouldn’t have the freedom to participate and to speak freely if I had to use my name. Why? Because I know of people who have spoken freely, and I am aware of the actions taken against them. Workplaces picketed (that has happened to more than one person), threats of violence (including death), and attacks against property (mainly cars). I’m not going to put myself or my family at some kind of risk in order to exercise freedom of speech. Is that ‘cowardly’? No. It’s just a fact that it’s what we’re up against in Bermuda these days.
Guess thats another thing the PLP has in common with the republicans……….
LOL
LaVerne, do like me and ‘GET REAL’! Save the bull$h*t for those who know no better! You would have been more correct had you said,civil servants are SUPPOSED TO BE represented by the BPSU, because it is fact that the BPSU has failed to represent MANY civil servants who faced employment issues, including dismissal cases. That Union has done more harm than good to so many BPSU ex-members…it’s a damn shame! They shouldn’t even be called a Union! You know the deal…stop B-S-ing people!
“Thanks Kim, I agree with all of the above. I have little respect for anonymous bloggers. In my opinion they are all cowards.”
So why did the PLP publicly endorse you son’s anonymous blog site for more than three years, going so far as to give it top billing on the party’s website with a direct link on your blog roll? http://bermudastr8nochaser.blogspot.com
“I stand by my comment that anonymous bloggers in the main are cowardly people”
Have you let your son know you think he’s a coward?
Cyber-lynching, tskk tssk this divisive behavior.
Even though I am not a “Party Politics” kind of a person, It’s refreshing to see two engineers entering politics. Engineers are thinkers and problem solvers as opposed to lawyers, who are debaters. Hopefully the make it to the top, where their innate abilities to problem solve will be utilized. We are at a time where we need more thinkers and problem solvers and less debaters.
LaVerne – 6,000 civil servants are prohibited from expressing political views publicly. They are all cowards if they use anonymity to have their opinions heard?
and the only person who cares about your opinion is you….
Great to see the engineers in the senate. The hope is that are more deliberations for renewable energy…its a no brainer for an island stuck in the middle of no where. Giving BELCO more land to build more turbines and stuff makes no sense when people can be self sufficient in their homes. We do it with water…lets do it with Energy!
And thanks to the Government 10% of the population of Bermuda are civil servants…
Much worse – over 15% of jobs are held by civil servants.
I think its closer to +20%.