“Misrepresenting issues without remorse” is how former planning, housing and environment minister Dr Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde described her successor Dr Roodal Moonilal’s statement that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) had bought a car for her. In a statement yesterday, Dick-Forde said the HDC never bought any cars for her or former junior minister Tina Gronlund-Nunez.
Moonilal said in an interview on July 12 that the HDC would usually provide transportation for ministers and during the PNM administration it had bought two cars for the former ministers. He said: “The HDC, over the years, has been in the habit. They provide some transport support for ministers. “They bought two vehicles, incidentally, for Dick-Forde, the former minister and Gronlund-Nunez, the former junior minister.
“They had purchased vehicles and when I came into office, the HDC provided me with the same support that they provided for former ministers. Nothing more, nothing less.” But Dick-Forde, in her statement, said Moonilal had misled the public in making that comment. She said: “Even more disturbing is the current Housing Minister misleading the public by reporting that the HDC purchased cars for former ministers and naming former senator Gronlund-Nunez and me.
“It is outrageous that this minister continues to misrepresent issues without remorse or concern that these lies can be easily verified and exposed as such.” Dick-Forde said when she served as Housing Minister, no vehicles were leased for their exclusive use. She said the vehicle she used was a Hyundai Tucson and when there were mechanical failures, the HDC provided a Kia Sportage.
She added: “As the immediate former minister with responsibility for housing I can say without fear of contradiction that the HDC never leased any Range Rover or luxury vehicle—or any vehicle for that matter—for the exclusive use of the minister. “Nor did the HDC purchase a vehicle for any former housing minister under the PNM when I was Minister of Planning Housing and the Environment from November 17, 2007 to May 23, 2010.
“When I took up the portfolio of Minister of Planning, Housing and the Environment I was told that there was a driver who is usually made available from the HDC for the minister when needed, particularly for site visits of housing developments. “The driver was also rostered to do HDC deliveries and other work using the same vehicle. “He had a Tucson is what I recall. I was reminded by a former staff member that when the a/c in that vehicle broke down he would use a Sportage.
“All were pre-2007 models. They were never exclusive to the minister.” She said the management of HDC would have been wrong and “operating against its purpose” to buy a car or even lease one for herself or Gronlund-Nunez. Moonilal could not be reached for comment yesterday.