THA Chief Secretary And Minority Leader Clash Over Budget And Contractors
A heated debate took place in the Tobago House of Assembly Legislature Chamber on Thursday as the THA Minority brought its final private motion for the Assembly’s legislative term to the Chamber, prompting a stern response from the Chief Secretary over claims of mismanagement of funds.
THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris, in debating the Minority’s motion, stressed that for the entire term of this Tobago House of Assembly administration they had received the highest budgetary allocation.
However, the Minority Leader claimed the administration had mismanaged the finances.
« Year on year, this administration has received consistent increases on their allocation. This amounts over this period to a total representing a whopping $13.015 billion in just under four years. »
Highlighting issues faced by Tobagonians, Mr. Morris claimed there are numerous contract workers awaiting gratuity payments.
« Many of them sit right here in these hollow halls, would have completed their contract term and since 2022 to now many of them are waiting to be paid contract gratuity. Teachers waiting for increments, only to be told there is no money. »
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine debunked the claims of the Minority.
« It’s $215 million in gratuity we have paid. I dare PNM to say in which four-year period they had that they even spent close to $215 million in gratuity. That’s a fact, but they come in this house telling untruths when in fact we have paid more on gratuity than any previous administration. »
Minority Leader Morris also stated that the PNM supported Tobago contractors but accused the Farley Augustine-led THA of destroying contractors.
« We, over a period of time, built up Tobago contractors, so now they are able to pave roads, build houses, construct hospitals, construct schools, and what happened when this TPP administration came into power? They systematically destroyed these contractors one by one. Now these contractors, banks are on their backs. »
However, Chief Secretary Augustine reiterated that an audit was done and it was reported that contractors billed for work not done. He added that contractors have been paid, adding that the THA plans to take legal action against some.
« We have been paying as funds are available for work that was actually done and every single one of those contractors received some payment and while the Minority Leader is at it, can he tell his friends to respond to the pre-action protocol letter because we are in fact going to court with those contractors that have robbed Tobago and they will pay back every cent that they robbed the island of. »
In his presentation, Minority Leader Kelvon Morris once again posited that the current THA Executive Assembly’s rejection of the Self-Governance Bills debated in Parliament resulted in Tobago being deprived of additional funding.
However, Mr. Augustine echoed the recent statements of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that a Bill is not necessary for Tobago to receive an increased budgetary allocation.
