CARONI East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh has questioned whether the Commission of Enquiry was designed to fail by the Government and so-called mistakes, including the failure to publish the appointment of the Commission in the Gazette, were deliberate ’sleeper cells’ meant to become active and destroy the credibility of the Commission.

He was speaking on Wednesday in the Lower House in the Red House, Port of Spain, during debate on an Act to validate the proceedings and the record of proceedings of the Commission of Enquiry into the Construction Sector, which became necessary due to the lack of the publishing of the Commission’s appointment. The bill was passed unanimously.

Cabinet had asked retired Court of Appeal Judge and Judge of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea Justice Anthony Lucky to investigate why the error had occurred and Attorney General John Jeremie said during the debate that his services were free of charge. Gopeesingh said it was unnecessary to appoint an enquiry as the Prime Minister ’could get up and say why’ the mistake was made. He also described the error as administrative ’bungling’ and not an administrative oversight as Government MPs had stated.

’This would never happen under a UNC Government,’ said Gopeesingh and People’s National Movement MPs laughed in response.

He said the administrative incompetence was clearly on the hands of the Prime Minister and the ’buck stops’ with him. He noted that the Prime Minister had previously called for a Joint Select Committee to look into UDeCOTT (Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago) and the construction sector but had to eventually yield ’kicking and screaming’, to the Opposition and representatives from the construction industry who had called for a Commission of Enquiry.

Gopeesingh also took issue with Works Minister Colm Imbert, saying that he refused to pay for Scottish construction expert Gerry McCaffrey to return to the country after the expert had uncovered ’massive corruption’ for the John Uff Commission. Imbert said that Gopeesingh was imputing improper motives.