HOUSING Minister Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde does not subscribe to the ’campaign of injustice and unfair attacks on UDeCOTT’. She also does not subscribe to the view that UDeCOTT (Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago) is a ’rogue elephant’.

Gaynor Dick-Forde made the comment at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.

Questioned on UDeCOTT’s decision to award a $300 million contract to Sunway to furnish the Ministry of Legal Affairs Towers although it was currently the subject of a commission of enquiry, Gaynor Dick-Forde said UDeCOTT had issued a comprehensive press release which addressed all the issues that were raised. ’And it (the press reference) clearly showed that they went through processes in awarding that contract. I have no problems with it (the award of the contract). And for the record, I do not believe that a line minister should enter into matters that were tendered and a process that went through and a board would have oversighted that procedure. This notion of ministers going and revoking things is very untidy and there is no basis in proper governance of institutions for that kind of behaviour,’ Gaynor Dick-Forde said.

She also said she did not know when this contract was awarded.

Asked about her statements three weeks ago that UDeCOTT was right to take court action against the Prof John Uff Commission of Enquiry, Gaynor Dick-Forde said she did not say UDeCOTT was right, but rather that they had a right to take action as a corporate citizen.

’Every citizen has a right to judicial review and as a corporate citizen, UDeCOTT went after (that right). And there is no conflict between a citizen going after judicial review and the commission continuing,’ she said.

Asked whether as line minister she was at any time concerned that UDeCOTT was not acting in accordance with Government’s wishes on this matter, Gaynor Dick-Forde said there had been continued conversation between Attorney General John Jeremie and UDeCOTT on the issue and that she had been part of that conversation ’to make sure that whatever was done was not going to interfere with the Commission of Enquiry. And...the Attorney General followed through on that,’ she said.