By CAROL MATROO Saturday, September 12 2009

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Dr Tim Gopeesingh...

Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh waded into the Government yesterday claiming that most of the contracts awarded and monies spent “went into the hands of PNM party supporters and PNM families.”

Gopeesingh, making his contribution in the Lower House during the Opposition’s response to the 2009-2010 Budget debate listed several institutions and projects that he claimed were lining the pockets of PNM party liners because of corruption.

He said for years neither Prime Minister Patrick Manning nor Finance Minister Karen Nunez- Tesheira sought to address the issue of corruption because “hey are timid to discuss that but corruption is the most singly awful influence of the economy in any country.

“The Brian Lara/Tarouba Stadium, UTT, Udecott, Eteck, Palo Seco Enterprises, URP, CEPEP, NIDCO, NEDCO, TTEC, WASA, Petrotrin, BWIA...These are all the companies which are plundering the treasury and going into the hands of the pockets of the PNM party supporters and the PNM group.

“So where the money gone? The money gone from all these companies into the hands of PNM party supporters and PNM families,” Gopeesingh claimed, adding that in some countries like TT, politicians chose investment projects not on the basis of economic worth, “but for the opportunity for bribes and kickbacks these projects present.”

Gopeesingh stated that International Monetary Fund analysts said that corruption increased the number of capital projects undertaken by the Government and enlarged their size and complexities in the Waterfront Project.

He said although the Central Bank Governor had been warning against “bad spending on mega billion dollar projects that never seemed to be completed”, Manning has continued on this path because the Government has “embarked on a policy of corruption.”

Gopeesingh said Manning has spent almost $300 million in the past seven years even while promising the people that his government would protect them against unjust enrichment of personal gain.

He said between 2002 and 2007, the Manning regime has spent close to $50 billion in agencies in fixed enterprises, statutory authorities and 14 special purpose enterprise companies.

“Your corruption has eroded every purpose of life in Trinidad and Tobago. Total economic development has been held back by corruption; the political life is poisoned by corruption, even the rule of law is undermined by corruption

“The country’s reputation is damaged, Mr Speaker...Corruption index was 32 in 2001 and went to 79 in 2009.

We should never have been in this serious economic, social and financial defeat with debt increasing by $18 billion in fiscal 2009-2010.

That is as a result of profligate spending and massive corruption. This Government is guilty of flagrant, blatant open nepotism, corruption and lack of integrity and morality in public affairs,” Gopeesingh said while his colleagues pounded the desks in agreement.

Gopeesingh claimed that PTSC was owed $373 million for buses.

“Who brought buses into Trinidad, who was the middle man? You want to know where the money gone? The money gone into the hands of PNM friends,” he claimed.

“Government has signed a guarantee for FCB holding for $515 million.