More
licks over smelter talk limits
By Phoolo Danny-Maharaj,South Bureau
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
11 26 06
More criticisms were heaped on the plan by the South
Trinidad Chamber of Commerce to invite selected
stakeholders to a symposium on plans to build aluminium
smelters in Trinidad.
The
Oilfields Workers Trade Union and the United National
Congress (UNC) yesterday hit out at the invitation-only
plan to discuss the smelters, which have generated
opposition from people from all walks of life.
OWTU
president general Errol McLeod described the chamber's
decision as a travesty. The UNC said the decision
to invite only 250 people was "contemptuous"
and nullified the promise of widespread national
participation.
They
were referring to the symposium to be held on December
6 at the Paria Suites Hotel, La Romaine.
Discussions
will focus on the proposed aluminium smelter for
Chatham and the opposition to it by environmentalists
and residents.
Another
smelter is to be built at La Brea.
The
symposium was organised by the chamber in collaboration
with the National Energy Corporation (NEC).
Chamber
chief executive officer Thackwray Driver has said
it would be by invitation and that some 250 stakeholders
have been invited.
McLeod
said the union was not invited and would not attend
even if invited.
He
said for the chamber to be the host of the consultation
and the process used to determine who should attend
was questionable.
"Even
if we are invited we would not attend because the
chamber organising this makes it a farce,"
he said.
The
UNC, describing the chamber's decision as "shocking",
said it "puts a lie to the promise of Prime
Minister Patrick Manning of dialogue on all the
disputed aspects of the proposed smelter. The move
to curtail participation proves, yet again that
the government has never been serious about national
discussions on the smelters".
Chamber
CEO Driver said foreign experts would attend the
symposium and that it would be open to the public,
religious groups, government workers, businesses,
members of the public but priority would be given
to the stakeholders, groups and schools from the
south-west peninsula.
The
objective of the symposium is to provide information
and to promote discussion on the development of
the aluminium industry in the country as outlined
by Manning in his recent post-Cabinet press briefing,
Driver has said.
Trinidad
Express
Friday, November 24th 2006
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