PM slams
slow local architects
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
12 10 06
Prime
Minister Patrick Manning once again defended Government’s
use of foreign contractors and consultants for the
State’s slew of infrastructural projects.
Consequently,
he blamed local consultants for taking too much
time to complete their designs.
Manning
was speaking yesterday during the Downtown Owners
and Merchants Association’s (Doma) fourth
quarterly breakfast meeting held at Crowne Plaza,
Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.
Manning
said that the cost of a project was seriously affected
with any delays.
“If
you go out for a bid with incomplete designs you
will get provisional sums and lose control of the
price of the project and that is the source of price
overruns,” he added.
To
further illustrate his point, Manning said “the
countries that developed rapidly did so on the basis
of foreign labour.”
Manning
said the highly anticipated National Carnival Centre
came to Cabinet at a $788 million cost and this
was the reason for its delay.
He
noted that Government put the price at $450 million.
In
its review of the design specifications Manning
said the Government sought advice and the price
was reduced significantly by around $300 million.
He
debunked claims that Government’s infrastructural
programme was driving inflation, saying infrastructural
upgrade and development could co-exist.
“If
we would like to equate the country with the banana
republics of the world then we will say fine accept
this but T&T is the largest exporter of methanol,
the sixth largest exporter of LNG and we account
for 80 per cent of Caricom trade,” he vaunted.
Doma
president Gregory Aboud called for more consultation
between Government and the business community.
He
issued a veiled critique of Government’s rapid
development thrust calling for a “slowing
down.”
“We
think the inflation problem is like indigestion.
Eat too much or eat too quickly,” he quipped.
More
importantly, he addressed the issue of price gouging.
He
admitted that there were businesses who colluded
to fix prices.
“On
the question of price gouging we are constantly
pressing for anti-trust legislation that would forbid
businesses from getting together to fix prices,”
Aboud said.
Manning
announced that Minister of National Security Martin
Joseph will meet with business leaders for a comprehensive
discussion on crime.
The
Trinidad Guardian
Wednesday 6th December, 2006
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©2006 The Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
