House Leader Dr Roodal Moonilal provoked the anger of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley yesterday when he spoke about questionable projects and situations which he said occurred under Rowley’s tenure as PNM housing minister. During Moonilal’s contribution to yesterday’s Parliament debate on the 2015 budget, Rowley jumped up twice, saying angrily on one occasion that he wasn’t minister when a certain project was being done.
Moonilal said Rowley’s budget presentation lived up to a CNC3 television poll that it would not have been strong and it was also tame and ill prepared. Reeling off many positive 2015 budget reviews, Moonilal said, “The only people who aren’t pleased with the budget is the PNM.”
He said during Rowley’s Housing Ministry tenure up to 2007, the Edinburgh Towers in Chaguanas went from $50 million to $150 million and were riddled with issues, which he detailed, and the ground under a Debe project kept shifting in a “$112 million mistake.”
He said the Las Alturas development in Morvant also rose from $65 million to $90 million and two towers valued at $26 million had to be demolished since geo-technical work wasn’t done, though Rowley was a geologist. Moonilal showed pictures of the situation, which angered Rowley, who jumped up, stressing he had “nothing to do with that!”
Moonilal withdrew it, but noted the span of Rowley’s Housing tenure. He said even if construction began in 2008, project planning and execution would have taken place two years previously when Rowley was the minister. Rowley again jumped up, so angry that he sputtered as he said the towers were done after he left the ministry.
Moonilal said while Rowley was minister, former PNM MP Franklin Khan (also PNM chairman) had a family business, Vidara Ltd, that obtained $53 million worth of HDC projects from 2006 to 2007. He challenged him to deny it. Moonilal said, “And they want to talk about transparency...that’s why they’re desperate to get into government again, they’re seeing money.”
Revealing PNM government infighting, Moonilal revealed an e-mail sent by then PNM minister Emily Dick-Forde within the ministry which said Rowley had called her a liar on HDC tender rules. Moonilal also said the US courts had proven the purported e-mail addresses which Rowley produced in the 2013 E-mailgate scandal didn’t exist.
Noting PNM deputy leader Orville London had said in May 2013 that Rowley would pay the price if his information was wrong, Moonilal said, “If he (Rowley) had any shame he’d have tendered his resignation in the aftermath (of the court’s pronouncement), but E-mailgate has now become Rowleygate.
“When US courts say you’ve fabricated the situation and sought to undermine government officials, it speaks to one’s credibility and who is really reckless, dishonest and dangerous. Even poor people have to be concerned because if one can fabricate information against a prime minister, what will you do with a poor person who cannot go to the US courts to clear their name? A future PNM government will bring a reign of terror.”
Moonilal noted Rowley had to apologise for falsely accusing the Attorney General of making racist remarks and other issues also had to be cleared up. He said Rowley’s credibility was important since the PNM presented itself as T&T’s alternative government, but the ghost of the Landate issue still followed Rowley.
Moonilal also aroused the ire of PNM’s Marlene McDonald, who began shouting at him and pointing her finger (so much so that Rowley had to put a hand on her arm to restrain her) after Moonilal told her the Government had built a police post in her constituency. Saying the PNM was aided and abetted by the ILP’s Jack Warner, Moonilal said more false propaganda would be issued against the PP in the election year.
