Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says government is purposely dragging its feet on procurement legislation.
Speaking on the sale of the Petrotrin Refinery at the UNC’s virtual Monday night forum, Persad-Bissessar reiterated that Government had misled Patriotic Energies and Technologies Company Limited and asked that no sale take place until the necessary legislation is put in place.
She also questioned why the Government wanted to strike a deal with Swiss-based commodity trader Trafigura – a company with a troubled past.
She said “I am making a call to Government, do not sell any state assets without fully implementing and proclaiming the procurement legislation. You want to sell out all these assets, sell out the NP gas stations, sell the port and you have no procurement legislation in place for disposal of property.”
Persad-Bissessar added, “Why is the Government dragging its feet on full procurement legislation. Why? You know why? Because there could be deals that will go down if you don’t have legislation in place and sales can be done by Cabinet directive.”
The opposition leader also stated that she had proof that government is planning to sell more than just the refinery but also the terminal assets, like its tank farms, berths, ducts etc.
She said Government never said the terminal assets were up for sale.
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