Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (right) looks on as Mrs Marlene Malahoo Forte takes the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office as a Senator, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, during a ceremony held at King’s House on Wednesday (July 15).
Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen presided over the swearing in ceremony, which was held at King’s House.
Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding had announced the appointment of Mrs. Malahoo Forte to fill the vacancy in the Senate resulting from the resignation of Colonel Trevor MacMillan.
The Governor-General, in congratulating Mrs. Malahoo Forte on her new appointment said, “You can be sure that all eyes will be on you, expecting you to make us proud. You are going to be serving Jamaica and Jamaica needs at this time, men and women, who serve from the heart, and men and women, who are willing to give of themselves unreservedly.”
Prime Minister Golding said he expects Senator Malahoo Forte to bring to her new task “the same level of dedication and commitment and forthrightness that she has brought to other areas in which she has served.”
“I wish her well and I have every confidence that she will do well,” Mr. Golding added.
In her remarks, the newly appointed Senator stated that it was an honour to serve her country. “There is a lot to be done and I think Jamaica needs everyone, who is well intentioned and who is prepared to take up the task and I am just going to do my part,” Senator Malahoo Forte said.
“My dream of Jamaica achieving its focus is not going to be achieved by expecting others to step forward and do the work that needs to be done and I am prepared to serve in any capacity that I can best add value at any given time,” she added.
Senator Malahoo Forte has had an outstanding career as a Resident Magistrate. She previously served as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and is a past President of the Association of Resident Magistrates as well as the Legal Officers Staff Association. She is currently the Chairperson of the Women’s Leadership Initiative.
In 2007, she was selected as a Yale World Fellow at Yale University in the United States, and earlier this year, she obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration, with concentration in Political Advocacy and Leadership, from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in the United States, and specialty in Public Policy & Management, as an Edward S. Mason Fellow.
Mrs. Malahoo Forte completed her Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill campus) and is a graduate, with Merit, of the Norman Manley Law School, where she received the Ken Smith prize for Trial Advocacy. She was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to Kings College, London, England where she obtained with Merit, the Master of Laws degree. Mrs. Malahoo Forte is from Westmoreland and is a past head girl of the Manning’s School in the parish.