Kamla: Udecott board must goBy Andre Bagoo and Richardson Dhalai Wednesday, March 10 2010
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Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has successfully obtained the leave of House Speaker Barry Sinanan to have debated a motion calling for the removal of the remaining Udecott board, in the wake of the resignation of the State company’s chairman Calder Hart.
On Monday, she filed a motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Patrick Manning for defending Hart in the face of documents showing a family link between Hart and CH Development, now Sunway Caribbean Construction Ltd, which Udecott has awarded $820 million in contracts.
Keeping the pressure on the Government over this controversial issue, Persad-Bissessar will this Friday raise a motion on, “the need for all members of the board of Udecott to be dismissed immediately having regard to the collective role this board has played in the undermining of public confidence in the operations and integrity of this State company.”
“It is my opinion that Calder Hart’s resignation is not the end of this issue. This involves the use of the people’s money. Everyone on the board must be held accountable and I am further calling for a forensic investigation where any and everyone connected to this debacle is held to account including Calder Hart’s most stout defender, Prime Minister Patrick Manning,” the Opposition Leader added in a release on the motion yesterday.
Udecott deputy chairman Dr Krishna Bahadoorsingh however said he has no intention of resigning in the wake of the resignation of Calder Hart as the company’s executive chairman on Saturday.
Asked if he was going to resign, Bahadoorsingh said, “no, the issue does not arise.” Asked if there was word on the appointment of a new chairman at Udecott, he said, “not at the moment.” The board, he said would most likely meet later this month.
During a UNC meeting on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar insisted the Udecott board must resign and also called for a forensic investigation of the special purpose State enterprise.
Addressing a large crowd at the Gasparillo East Indian Friendly Society compound, Ragoobar Lands, Gasparillo, Persad-Bissessar cited a report from Global Integrity (an organisation which publishes a corruption index on countries around the world) saying it had focused on Udecott.
“Needless to say the Global Integrity report had much to say about Udecott and Calder Hart.
It speaks about what it calls the ‘unsolved mystery’ as to why the registered home fax 624-8239 of Udecott’s former chairman Calder Hart is on the official letterhead of successful bidder CH Development and Construction Limited (renamed Sunway Construction Caribbean Limited.) The Global Integrity addresses the relationship between Calder Hart’s wife and the principals of Sunway, it spoke of the unresolved queries on Hart’s five salaries,” Persad-Bissessar said. These are questions which she has sought to have answered in Parliament.
“That is why I have a motion of no confidence against PM Manning in the Parliament on your behalf. That is why I sought the permission last Friday in the Parliament to have the matter of Calder Hart and his relationship to CH which was awarded the multi million dollar contract debated as a matter of urgent public importance.
“The sudden resignation of Calder Hart is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a course of events which must see a forensic investigation where any and everyone connected to this debacle is held to account including Calder Hart’s most stout defender, Patrick Manning,” she said.
