ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC):

Opposition political parties said yesterday they were not accepting the arguments put forward by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit regarding the reshuffling of his Cabinet, saying it was more intended to distract the population from issues of governance, national development and the economy.

Skerrit said Tuesday's comprehensive Cabinet shake-up was geared towards positioning his administration to address some burning national issues, including the rising cost of living.

Almost all members of Cabinet were touched in the reshuffle which saw the high-profile Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Savarin losing that portfolio to Skerrit and being reassigned to the Public Utilities, Energy, Ports and the Public Service, while new ministers were named for the Attorney General's Office and Ministry of Tourism.

"We have to be responsive to the Dominican people and their concerns, one of them being the cost of living and we need to find creative ways of bringing relief to the Dominican people," Skerrit told the Caribbean Media Corporation, while noting that Savarin's reassignment should not be interpreted as a demotion.