Politics

Bermuda: New Cabinet Ministers Sworn-in

HAMILTON, Bemuda – At Bermuda’s Government House swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday (June 23) Bermuda’s Premier Dr. Ewart Brown welcomed Neletha Butterfield and Walter Roban as Cabinet Ministers. Minister Butterfield will serve as Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation and Minister Roban will serve without portfolio.

“We are fortunate to have someone with the passion and experience of Minister Butterfield to step up and assume new responsibilities. I expect her to hit the ground running,” the Premier said. “And Walter Roban is a wonderful example of a young man who has toiled in the vineyard of Bermudian politics. For him, in my opinion, it was just a matter of time before he would rise to the rank of Minister.”

Neletha Butterfield:

Neletha Butterfield, JP, MP has represented the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party in the House of Assembly since 1998. She is the founder, owner and director of a computer school and alternative learning centre called C.A.R.E. which stands for Children and Adults Reaching for Education. She founded the learning centre and computer school in November 1983.

She sat in the House of Parliament as a Government back bencher from November 1998 to October 2002. On October 8th, 2002, she was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio, spokesperson in the House of Assembly for the Minister of Housing.

In the election July 24th, 2003, Ms Butterfield retained her seat in constituency 18 Pembroke West Central with an overwhelming victory in the new electoral districts. She was reappointed to the Cabinet by Premier Alexander Scott, as the Minister of the Environment and on September 2nd, 2006, Premier Scott appointed her as Minister of Education and Development.

In the change of PLP Leadership in October 2006, the newly elected Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown, appointed her on October 30th as the Minister of the Environment, Telecommunications and E-Commerce, a portfolio she held until December 2007.

Walter Roban:

Walter H. Roban, JP, MP was first elected to office December 18, 2007.

Roban is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he received a Bachelors Degree in Business and International Studies. He then furthered his studies at the University of Birmingham in England where he received a Masters Degree in International Studies, specialising in international politics, political risk and foreign policy analysis.

Walter is a former government Senator and held the Junior Ministerial portfolios of Health & Family Services, Tourism & Transport and Education and Development. He joined the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party Youth Wing, “Progressive Youth”, in the late 1980’s, serving as its Chairman and representative to the party’s Central Committee from 1991 to 1993. In 1995 he was elected to the position of Secretary General of the PLP, which he held until August 1999.

Walter served as deputy chairman of the PLP Campaign Committee in November 1998, playing a key role in all aspects of the historic national election campaign. In 2003, he was appointed to the PLP’s Executive where he held the positions of Acting Secretary General Membership and Acting Public Relations Officer. In addition, he was spokesman for the election campaign as well as a Campaign Committee member.

In 1995, Walter worked on the team that revised the PLP independence policy. In 2005, he chaired the Committee that was responsible for drafting the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party’s policy on Independence which was submitted to the Bermuda Independence Commission (BIC).

Walter Roban is currently an Assistant Vice President and Trust Review Officer for the Bank of Bermuda HSBC, GPB Private Bank. He is engaged to Barrister Nadine Francis and they are proud parents to their daughter Zara.


The Premier stands with Minister Neletha Butterfield and Minister Walter Roban and both Ministers’ families just after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House.
(Photo courtesy DCI)

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