UNC deputy political leader Dr Roodal Moonilal claims the TT Transparency Institute (TTTI) has been silent on matters relating to alleged corruption in the country since the People’s National Movement (PNM) returned to government in 2015.
“I have taken note that when the UNC was in office, the Transparency International leaders did not sleep. They pronounce and denounce with monotonous frequency,” he told Sunday Newsday via WhatsApp.
“From the moment the UNC demitted office, these agencies go to sleep. Today, nobody hears of TI any more.”
The Oropouche East MP alleged several million-dollar projects, initiated under the PNM administration, were riddled with corruption.
“These mega million-dollar projects suggested poor governance, corruption, a lack of accountability and TI remains on vacation on the paradise islands.”
Moonilal was responding to an opinion article in the UK Guardian on Saturday, which claimed that corruption was “embedded” in many Caribbean islands, including TT, surpassing countries in the developed world.
The article, headlined Trouble In Paradise: corruption in the Caribbean has become normalised, was written by Kenneth Mohammed.
In the article, Mohammed claimed, “the Caribbean is home to some of the wealthiest politicians in the world yet the ever-popular posts on social media about the richest or best paid in the region tend to ignore most of the millionaire or billionaire politicians of Trinidad and Tobago and other islands.”
He wrote, “It is interesting to see some of the net worth of some of these politicians and shocking that some were of average wealth, only becoming millionaires or billionaires since taking office.”
Mohammed further claimed the citizens who voted them into power have become poorer, more disempowered and more disenfranchised.
[caption id="attachment_1004100" align="alignnone" width="350"] Economist Dr Vaalmikki Arjoon. -[/caption]
He claimed some of the politicians had acquired their wealth legitimately while others profited using insider information and received contract through proxies, kickbacks and bribes. Mohammed cited former government minister and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner as an example, saying he is fighting extradition to the US on bribery and corruption charges.
According to Moonilal, combating corruption, in its various manifestations, requires deep legal, policy and institutional reforms.
“Regrettably, it cannot be left to cultural and value driven impulses. The persistence of nepotism, fraud, bribery, kickbacks, conflicts of interest and helping hands to family and friends have become a norm in our twin island Republic.”
He said the former UNC-led People’s Partnership government has “a proud history of addressing poor governance.” His comment is in stark contrast to claims by the ruling PNM of rampant corruption by state agencies under the former PP administration.
Moonilal noted although the “flagship procurement laws were passed by the partnership government, “eight years later it cannot be properly implemented and has
