PADARATH: Cabinet Sub-Committee another Ploy to Privatize TSTT
Princes Town MP, Barry Padarath believes that the announcement made today that the Cabinet has decided to establish a Cabinet Sub-Committee to look into the viability and woes at TSTT is another ploy to privatize the company.
Padarath stated that within recent times the government gave the population the impression that it had taken a hands off approach to TSTT, while allowing the management of TSTT to take the fall for the company’s financial troubles. Now at the eleventh hour when employees are already facing the axe and the union is facing extinction, the government has announced the setting up of a Cabinet Sub-Committee.
The Opposition Shadow Minister for Public Utilities says that the establishment of a Cabinet Sub-Committee is too late and it will accomplish nothing but selling off the assets of TSTT to friends and financiers of the PNM. Further, in the face of the establishment of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, Padarath calls for TSTT to halt terminating any employees and to halt transferring any assets to Amplia. He stated that if any meaningful work was to be done by the Committee, it must involve and address the employees and the assets of the company. He added that it cannot be a simple case of determining the value of the company.
The Princes Town MP said it was disturbing that the Cabinet Sub-Committee had no specific terms of reference and timeline to compile its report. The announcement today gave very little details and is shrouded in secrecy. Padarath reminded the country that the purchase of Massy Communication for over 255M by TSTT was done in a very clandestine way as well and that history was repeating itself at TSTT.
The Princes Town MP further stated that over one year has elapsed since the report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on WASA was filed in the Parliament and little or nothing has been done to date. Padarath says he expects the opposite to happen to TSTT since it appears that the government is anxious to sell out TSTT to their friends, financiers and family of the PNM.
The MP further stated that he was not surprised that the Minister of Public Utilities was sidelined to chair the Committee since he has time and time again demonstrated his incompetence in handling issues affecting the Public Utilities sector especially in his handling of the recent twelve-hour blackout that swept across the nation.