Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has dared the Government to appoint Rabindra Moonan as chairman of the Housing Development Corporation. He did so during his contribution to yesterday’s debate in the House of Representatives on a Government motion to increase the 2012/13 national budget by $2.9 billion. “Today I dare this Government to appoint Rabindra Moonan as chairman of the HDC...I dare you,” Rowley said.
Rowley said the country was being “threatened” with the appointment of Moonan as chairman of the HDC. He noted that Moonan “just came off a period of disaster at CAL, whose entire tenure from the day he was appointed there was uproar in this country over his unsuitability to chair CAL.” He said Moonan had a “disastrous” record during his 11 months at the helm of the airline. “He was summarily fired by the Minister of Finance,” Rowley said.
Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal was heard across the floor saying Moonan was already appointed to the position. As Rowley attempted to continue, Moonilal said: “Dare me again! Dare me again!” Rowley said: “Mr Speaker, you understand the absurdity, nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with that?” Moonilal responded immediately, while on his seat: “Who else you want to put?”
Rowley said the Government was moving to take a “failed chairman” and appoint him to head the HDC, another billion-dollar company. Earlier, Rowley criticised the Government for seeking to increase the budget by $2.9 billion. He said the increases were for measures the Government should have been aware of in September last year.
He said more than $1 billion was being sought for personnel expenditure (wages and salaries) and $10 million for constitution reform consultations. He said Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar did “precious nothing” and the exercise was intended for him “to go around the country in an exercise of self-promotion.” He said the additional $10 million for Ramadhar’s ministry would “produce nothing of any substance...We are no nearer any public consensus on this matter.”
Rowley said the Government incurred $400 million in losses from vat reduction and it had brought no significant relief to householders. He said the Government had three different flood relief measures for the Diego Martin region last year and that was very confusing. He said the Ministry of Works spent $41 million from an allocated $49 million; National Security spent $26 million and Local Government spent more than $17 million. He said several areas in the region still require relief.
He said none of the 12 PNM constituencies was included for assistance in the Government’s flood mitigation programme, adding there was discrimination. According to Rowley, the proposed increase in the budget was also intended to provide funding to workers of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of T&T. Rowley said he wanted to know if the unit was still in existence.
Diego Martin North/East MP Colm Imbert called on the Government to apologise over the $6.8 million deal to wreck a firetruck that ran off the road in Blanchisseuse. He called for an investigation into the matter.