MP Lee: Budget game changer, Dragon deal, dead

It is time Government end their political charade and admit to the people of Trinidad and Tobago that their much boasted Dragon Gas Deal was nothing more than political public relations. Energy Minister Franklin Khan’s public admission that the Dragon Gas Deal has come to a “standstill” is a true vindication of what the Opposition has said from day one, this deal was not only a political sham but one which could not withstand political upheavals or public scrutiny.

From the start, concerned about the sustainability and legality of this deal, the Opposition posed questions in the nation’s interest as we knew that our energy sector’s security was vulnerable. At all times we were met with hostility and called “unpatriotic” . Today our citizens can clearly see that these were simply baseless claims by the government in an attempt to mask the unreliable, non-sustainable and false details surrounding this deal.

The government must not deceive our citizens into thinking that this is just a delay or a simple pause in negotiations. It is unacceptable that up to this day they are unable to confirm if the document needed to make this arrangement fully operational, a legally binding Gas Sales Contract, was ever signed.

Since 2016 the Government has been dealing with this project, yet over the past three years our population has been met with a fluff of political theatrics and commitments which have never materialized. Ironically, Government named this project as one of their game changers in the budget. Now, like Sandals, government is trying to change their narrative to hide the fact that another one of their game changers has failed.

As a result of this, it is important that the Minister of Energy inform the public how much money has been spent and allocated towards this project thus far, given that there has been no beneficial return to the taxpayers of this nation.

This entire scenario has clearly demonstrated the inept, relentless incompetence of the Rowley-led administration as they have sacrificed the health and security of our natural gas sector as well as the entire energy sector.

For three years they wasted time by ignoring or failing to undertake any significant projects which could have propelled our natural gas production, with the exception of those started under the Peoples Partnership, as they foolishly pegged their hopes on this one project. A show of vision-less and lazy governance.

It is time the Government accept that this deal is dead and work towards other initiatives, as failure to do so would be catastrophic to a sector already depleted by this administration’s lack of innovation.