A war of words erupted between Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert and fellow Government MP Dr Keith Rowley in the Parliament over the way in which the ruling party has been spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars.
Imbert dismissed as ’inaccurate’ and ’unsustainable’ Rowley’s criticisms that the People’s National Movement (PNM) administration got a bonanza and blew it by wasteful spending while in office since late 2001.
Once perceived to be good friends in Government, Imbert is calling on Rowley to do some introspection about his criticism of Government expenditure in the Parliament on Monday.
’I really had a difficulty listening to one of my colleagues, listening to a PNM member, making statements about the PNM Government getting a bonanza and blowing it,’ Imbert said.
He did so just after midnight yesterday during his contribution to a marathon session of the House of Representatives 2009/2010 Budget debate at the Red House, Port of Spain, that began at 10 a.m. on Monday.
On Monday, Rowley claimed the Government wasted $100 million in the Ministry of Legal Affairs Tower and Chancery Lane projects.
Rowley added that in the case of the Legal Affairs Tower, the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (UDeCOTT) awarded a $368 million to one bidder even though another contractor bid $60 million less.
Imbert said these matters were examined by the Commission of Enquiry into UDeCOTT and the construction sector.
Imbert said it is ’a fact’ the lowest bidder, Hafeez Karamath Ltd, and Johnson Construction Company, the second lowest bidder, did not get the contract but the third lowest bidder, CH Development Ltd, a subsidiary of Malaysia-based Sunway, got it for good reason.
’It has been stated repeatedly that the reason why Karamath was not awarded the contract was because Karamath was busily occupied with many other projects, including the Brian Lara cricket facility, and that Karamath did not have the capacity,’ Imbert said.
He said that similarly, Johnson’s resources were also stretched thin, while Sunway was a new entrant to the local construction industry and had ’no capacity issues’.
