Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “fire the three Housing Ministers (Dr David Lee, Phillip Alexander and Anil Roberts) as well as the (Housing Development Corporation) board now”.“The HDC, under a cloak of obfuscation and confusion, (on June 17) provided notice of the cancellation of the scandalous procurement proceedings relating to the award of the $3.4 billion contracts,” to contractors and “recently incorporated companies with no track record in housing”.
HOUSING MINISTER:David Lee
She criticised the way the cancellation was labelled - “RFP No. 050126 - DBF - Portfolio 1,” - “leaving no one, other than diligent watchdogs in society, able to identify the true impact and full purport of the release to the tax-paying population.“This cancellation represents an admission of the inappropriate award of State contracts under highly suspicious and scandalous circumstances and is representative of the true character of the UNC...”
TARGETS UNCHANGED:Phillip Alexander
With so many on the breadline, the Opposition “pledges to hold this self-serving and corrupt UNC to account and to fight against their corruption so that it will never take root in society”.Beckles added, “It is remarkable that after several days in Parliament over the last week, with over 50 hours of parliamentary proceedings, not one mention was made of this fiasco and, further, no mention was made of the Government’s failings in providing housing for the nation. Neither (Ministers) David Lee, Phillip Alexander, nor Anil Roberts has done anything of substance in the housing sector. Roberts and Alexander spend time attacking the public with vile and divisive rhetoric while failing to act on a board at the HDC, silently overseeing what now stands as one of the largest public procurement scandals.”She once again called for the firing of the ministers and said, “The UNC can run, but they will have no place to hide. The war Barry (Padarath) seeks is just starting, and it is against a corrupt Government caught red-handed in the act in less than one year in office.”Her statement comes after the HDC announced on June 17 that it had discontinued procurement proceedings under RFP No. 050126-DBF-Portfolio 1, a process linked to proposed housing contracts valued at approximately $3.4 billion.The HDC said the decision was taken under Section 33 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, 2015, after the completion of the evaluation process and the expiration of the statutory standstill period.The cancellation follows intervention by the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR), which in April directed the corporation to suspend the award of the contracts pending a review of the procurement proceedings.Procurement regulator and OPR chairman Beverly Khan was contacted for comment, but no response was received.Housing Minister David Lee said in a WhatsApp response to the Express that he would be making a statement soon but no comment was given up to last night.Alexander: This is not‘a friends and financier plan’The Government’s plan to deliver thousands of homes remains on course despite the HDC’s decision to discontinue the $3.4 billion housing procurement process, Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Alexander said yesterday.In a statement, Alexander sought to reassure prospective homeowners that the first phase of a planned 3,700-unit housing programme had not been abandoned.“This first rollout of 3,700 houses that was paused by this release is not cancelled,” Alexander said.The minister said the Government remained committed to expanding homeownership and argued that the process could not be delayed indefinitely.“Homeownership for tens of thousands of families cannot be placed on hold indefinitely. The developers we have identified to build these homes have their own private financing arrangements in place, financing that is ready to deliver homes at no cost to the State, and that cannot reasonably be held in limbo,” he said.Alexander also rejected suggestions that the housing initiative would benefit a select group of contractors.“This is not a friends and financier plan as the PNM did for the entirety of their ten years. All other developers who qualify and have the capacity to deliver within set timeframes and budgets are welcome to tender,” he said.He maintained that the Government’s housing targets remained unchanged.“The Prime Minister’s promised deliverables remains. Our intention to place as many families in their own homes within this term remains, and that will not be deterred,” Alexander said.The minister added that future procurement exercises would be conducted with a high degree of transparency.“We will continue to ensure that all processes are above board and transparent beyond even the requirements of any oversight bodies,” he said.Alexander said the Government also intends to make housing more affordable while improving construction standards.“It is our goal to reduce the cost of homes while improving quality to the benefit of all, while divesting existing properties to tenants and pursuing starter homes that even minimum wage earning families will be able to afford,” he said.He disclosed that additional details on the programme would be released shortly.“In the coming days and weeks more information will be put into the public space including requests for proposals and invitations to tender,” Alexander said.On April 15, former prime minister Stuart Young urged the public to scrutinise how taxpayer funds were being spent, alleging that several of the companies selected had little or no track record of constructing public housing projects for the HDC.He listed companies identified in an HDC document as recipients of the proposed contracts and claimed that “only a few names actually have the track record and financial wherewithal” to undertake HDC housing projects.According to Young, the contracts were awarded as follows:• Mootilal Ramhit and Sons Contracting Ltd — $1 billion• Hakim Hosein Construction Company Ltd — $410.3 million• Trinidad Pro Construction Ltd — $290 million• CE Management and Services Ltd — $184 million• California Stucco Company — $446 million• Keith’s Transport Services — $232 million• Rampersad General Contractors and Equipment Ltd — $112 million• Oilfield Hardware — $160 million• Norris Transport Enterprises Company Ltd — $193 million• Bristol Construction — $229 million• Adam’s Construction Ltd — $201 million
