Padarath: Sahadeo again? Square pegs in round holes under Rowley
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath is taking Prime Minister Keith Rowley to task for appointing former Chairman of the Port Authority Christine Sahadeo to the boards of two companies that the Rowley Government established in its transition, after closing down the Petrotrin Refinery.
Padarath called on the Prime Minister to state whether the concerns expressed by prominent PNM stalwart Ferdie Ferreira at the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure on September 4th, 2018, was ever addressed concerning the inappropriate conduct of Sahadeo as the Chairman of the Port Authority.
The Princes Town MP indicated that he recalled several issues concerning unilateral decisions made by Sahadeo that proved to be detrimental to the efficient operations of the sea bridge, as well as regarding the operations of the Port as documented in the McMillan report. The MP further added that if Sahadeo had already proven that she was incompetent and had to resign in those circumstances, which she did, with respect to the fiasco at the Port Authority, then how could the Prime Minister expect the nation to have trust and faith in her now with these two new board appointments.
Padarath stated that Rowley was reshuffling square pegs in round holes +and that the result would remain the same. The appointment of Sahadeo to these two boards after she presided over the fiasco at the Port Authority as Chairman, demonstrates that the government didn’t have competent persons with the capacity to run state institutions. By Rowley’s own admission, he described the ferry debacle as a crooked deal under Sahadeo’s tenure. He added that this also says a lot about the judgment and the leadership of the Prime Minister. The Princes Town MP noted that this was a trend in the Rowley led administration where Party hats were being rewarded with Government contracts and positions in state institutions at the expense of good governance.
The Princes Town MP added that the country would see more of the same in terms of inefficiency, financial losses, corruption and poor management with putting back the same players who destroyed one industry to preside over another. He also called on Rowley to clarify the issues that surrounds Sahadeo’s conduct and which forced her resignation, when she served as Chairman of the Port Authority or remove her forthwith from the boards of Guaracara Refining Company and Paria Fuel Trading Company with immediate effect.