Opposition Senator Wade Mark has denied allegations by the Prime Minister that the UNC was intent on detracting foreign investment being sought by Government.
This after the PM revealed during a PNM event on Saturday, that Indian businessman Naveen Jindal has pulled out of investing in the Petrotrin Oil Refinery following the bashing he received from the opposition.
Dr Keith Rowley revealed that Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, had withdrawn his interest, allegedly due to attacks on him by the Opposition. Rowley made the revelation at the People’s National Movement’s Diego Martin West 51st constituency conference on Friday.
Rowley said: “This is an investor who was prepared to consider putting in a bid in the offer of approximately US$700 million to bring that refinery into operation, and the only people in this country who don’t want that to happen is a handful of politicians who don’t care if you eat the bread the devil knead because they prefer to have the refinery there talking stupidness about it than to see it see it re-started and operated in a different way for the benefit of the people of T&T.”
However, Mark said the UNC will not apologise for its purported role in dissuading the Indian industrialist.
He said the Opposition was simply performing its duty when it raised concerns over Jindal facing corruption and money laundering charges in India, alleging that he bribed a government minister for coal mining concessions.
“It is our duty and responsibility as the Opposition and the alternative government and the government in waiting to raise issues surrounding the public interest,” Mark said.
“We are standing in a gap between a corrupt, lying and thieving administration and the people’s welfare, safety and security in T&T.”
Mark denied allegations that the UNC was intent on detracting foreign investment being sought by Government.
“Nothing could be further from the truth because under the UNC, led by the honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar as our prime minister, we attracted billions of dollars in direct foreign investment. That is our record,” he claimed, without directly identifying any particular project.
Mark said he was concerned that Rowley and his Cabinet had failed to perform due diligence checks on Jindal before entering into the discussions. He claimed the information could have been obtained through a simple internet search.
“I am not casting any aspersions on anyone but I find it strange that the Government of this country find themselves being associated with some very questionable and suspicious characters and companies whose track records in terms of performance leaves a lot to be desired,” he said.
Mark pointed to a donation of rice and cooking oil gifted to this country by the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Limited (HAFED) and announced by Rowley at a post-Cabinet press briefing last month.
Mark claimed Jindal had close ties to an official of that company.
Mark questioned the donation, which is expected to be distributed to the needy in T&T.
“This is what is going on here. That is part of the playbook of the Jindal group,” Mark said.
He also questioned whether Jindlal’s interest in the refinery was genuine.
“If we take what has happened in Bolivia and we translate it to T&T, it is the same playbook. He had no intention in investing in T&T,” Mark said.