Government must explain how it is dealing with the challenge to state authority presented by Jack Warner’s move to build a walkway in Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain, on his own, says former head of the public service Reginald Dumas. He said yesterday the situation presented by Warner’s move sets a dangerous precedent in T&T whereby a private individual had initiated moves to build a project on State land without Government objection.
“It’s a major challenge to Government’s authority and they must—rather than sidestep the issue or ignore it—say if they will stop it or not or else others will follow suit in T&T and we’ll have a shortage of order and institutions will ultimately collapse,” Dumas added.
“This is a question of who’s running the Government, Jack or the PP? If it is that a private person seeking re-election can set up on public land a construction without the consensus of central government without any action being taken by Government, then T&T is in a different ball game entirely.”
Dumas said he had noted comments by various ministers which appeared to side step the issue. He, however, added: “This amazing situation calls for answers from the Government. Something is being done in the open and Government essentially says nothing although it’s being done so far on State land without state authority.
“This is clearly part of the challenge to the UNC hierarchy by Warner. He says he promised the people the project but responsible quarters would ask if a person—whether candidate for office or not—has acted within the law in an instance like this.” President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) Gregory Aboud said: “This particular issue has evolved from a governmental issue to a political one and as such it’s not within the domain of issues which the business community will comment on.
“Our only hope is that the conduct of this politics involving the Chaguanas West seat will be done in the same respectful, respectable manner in which all of our electoral issues have been usually conducted.” T&T Transparency Institute head Deryck Murray said the board, which meets next week, would examine those and other issues.
