MINISTER of Public Utilities Barry Padarath says he is satisfied with the information provided by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) on its hiring exercise, dismissing Opposition allegations of an “employment racket” at the authority and insisting he will not “dance to the tune” of the People’s National Movement (PNM).Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales has continued to criticise the recruitment exercise, claiming bloggers were hired as part of a political propaganda operation.
BLOGGERS HIRED:Marvin Gonzales
In an interview with TV6 yesterday, Padarath said: “First of all, I have no intention to dance to the tune of the PNM nor its agents inside and outside of WASA or anywhere else in the public service.”He added: “Further, there was a process to hire persons. When hiring at WASA was raised with me, I did indicate that WASA had advised that some of these persons were on short-term contracts.”There was scrutiny surrounding the hiring of nine influencers among 416 people employed at WASA since the change in government following the April 28 general election last year, a Guardian newspaper report said.Responding to questions about the hiring process at WASA, the minister said: “These persons are eligible for employment just like anybody else and once they went through the process, I have no difficulty with WASA hiring persons who have gone through the necessary process to legitimately be hired at WASA.”He noted that his responsibility as line minister for WASA does not extend to the authority’s day-to-day operations.“I do not sit in the HR division or the finance division or the procurement division of WASA and therefore the company continues to operate,” he said.Padarath reiterated: “As I have said, once people went through a process that WASA is satisfied with through their Human Resource department, I am comfortable with the information that WASA has supplied to me.”He questioned whether it was “disingenuous” and “most ridiculous” to suggest that the individuals were hired for anything other than the job specifications within their remit or job titles.The minister maintained he was not “dancing to the tune” of the PNM.He also said he was awaiting media reports on a popular blogger and “several others that I can name who were financed through government contracts, sole selected by the People’s National Movement administration to spew vitriol against the United National Congress and others in our society”.“So, spare me the hypocrisy,” he added.Meanwhile, Gonzales said in a social media post yesterday: “Two months ago, I filed questions in the Parliament and exposed this employment racket in WASA.”“I told the country that part of the scheme was the recruitment of bloggers whose primary responsibility is not to work to improve your water supply but to go online and malign, destroy and ‘stink up’ the names of anyone who dare criticise this UNC Government,” he claimed.He said that, as expected, “they came out in full force to try and attack my character, hoping to intimidate me into silence”.The MP said subsequent media reports “exposed more of the scheme so that you, the citizens, can understand the extent and gravity of the scandal that will cost you approximately $80 million annually”.He argued that the money was not being spent to improve the public’s water supply, “but to create an engine room of propaganda, gossip and online dirty slime meant to denigrate, malign and destroy the character of those who are brave to take on the UNC and their nastiness”.Gonzales also said he would not be distracted by what he described as “poisonous bile”.“As for me, they can continue to spill their poisonous bile on social media. I will not be distracted by them. I will strengthen my resolve to fight them with TRUTH as my buckler and righteousness as my breastplate,” he added.
