THE APPOINTMENT of Leslie Campbell as minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation might represent a gift to a Holness loyalist, says political commentator Dr Christopher Charles.

Yesterday, Jamaica House said that Prime Minister Andrew Holness recommended the appointment of the St Catherine North East member of parliament to bolster the management of the country’s economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is unclear whether the prime minister’s appointment was strategically to raise Campbell’s national profile in a marginal seat with the hope of giving him a second wind as a general election draws nearer.

Charles, a professor of political and social psychology at The University of the West Indies, believes, however, that Campbell’s appointment could be a stopgap measure.

Campbell’s appointment comes as a vacancy was created in the Holness Cabinet with the passing of Shahine Robinson, the minister of labour and social security.