AFTER doing nothing to arrest and reverse the country's crumbling road infrastructure for the past eight years of PNM rule, Opposition MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is rubbishing the Prime Minister's recent apology over the dilapidated roads as nothing more than electioneering.
At a Conversations with Dr Rowley forum on the weekend at the Palo Seco Government Primary School, Dr Rowley in response to a concern raised by a member of the audience, apologised for the lack of maintenance of some of the country's secondary roads.
“As Prime Minister, it falls to me to apologise for the state of many of our roads and the reason is this – priority,” he said.
He then referenced the fact that Government had to look at using sparse revenues to ensuring survival of people during the height of the pandemic. As such, national projects including road repairs and upkeep had to be placed on the back-burner.
But Dr Moonilal, the Oropouche East MP, was not impressed.
In a press release earlier this week, he said the apology was "forked-tongue electioneering. He said the PM and his ministers have, for years, arrogantly dismissed pleas for repair to the country’s decaying infrastructure.
In and out of Parliament, Moonilal said, the Opposition has repeatedly implored Government to fix crumbling roads, bridges and remedy landslips.
He said poor infrastructure led to increased cost of commuting and the need for frequent and costly repairs to vehicles. Another hardship caused by poor roods was a reduction in the commercial delivery of goods to village shops. Added to this, was the repeated increase in the price of fuel by Government.
All of that is taking place in a country with runaway inflation and negligible wage increases, Moonilal added.
He claimed that government had spent billions over the years with no tangible benefits to the nation.
"The shameless neglect of the wrecked national infrastructure is the upshot of the PNM Government’s glaring incompetence and its unconscionable aloofness and hubris."
Moonilal said Government has long lost touch with the working masses who daily must endure grinding pain and hardship.
Rowley’s apology, the opposition MP said, is both showboating and crocodile tears, aimed only at securing local government election votes.
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