Moonilal: PP will be back for a second term
Published: Sunday, December 28, 2014 (T&T Guardian)In spite of the several missteps and other negative aspects of the People’s Partnership Government for the four years so far, Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal is confident the party will be returned for a second term. Moonilal, who indicated they were very heartened by the views of the people and the national community on the matter, said the party plans to initiate a very strong campaign for the 2015 general election soon.
He was critical of what he termed the intellectual dishonesty of the Opposition People’s National Movement, and claimed that the PNM was bent on destabilising the Government from day one. On allegations that some people were falsely collecting money on the pretext of representing the Housing Development Corporation, he stressed he had zero tolerance for anyone carrying out such illegal activities.
Q: Dr Moonilal, this People’s Partnership administration has been experiencing a rather rough ride for most of its four years in office. Why has the Opposition PNM been allowed to take the head start in the 2015 general election stakes? A: (In a relaxed mode at his Debe, south Trinidad, constituency office on Tuesday afternoon) The PP political directorate has been extremely busy with the management of the Government and the affairs of the country and from day one, the PNM has politicised several national issues, they are campaigning and that is all they have to do.
Soon, of course, we will initiate a very strong campaign and we are very heartened by the views of the people and the national community that we could be returned for a second term.
This rough ride, was it a question of the newness of most of the Government? I think the PNM decided from the moment we entered office to destabilise the administration and...
No! No! Dr Moonilal, isn’t that taking it a bit too far...destabilising…and isn’t the Opposition part of our democratic process? (Rocking back in his hair with a serious countenance) The PNM has behaved as the PNM can. You know it is in their DNA to destabilise any other government in office with their policy of non-cooperation, of obstruction in some cases, which have led to discontent over several policies and law making in Parliament. One example of this is the procurement legislation where they voted for it in the Senate but did not support it in the Lower House.
Would these missteps by members of the Government overshadow the PP’s achievements during the critical period in 2015? Clevon, I want to say there is a certain amount of intellectual dishonesty on the part of the PNM leadership and the expression of that dishonesty is in the level of their hypocrisy. All governments, regardless of administration, would make mistakes, errors in judgment.
The issues is what do you do when you believe something is not right, and we must be measured as well with what we have done when we believe things were not right. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar exerted strong leadership when she believed something was not right.
What about the allegation that the Prime Minister is not in charge of her Cabinet? (A cynical laugh) That is so far from the truth as the record would show where she took firm and decisive action when the occasion warranted such. As Leader of the House in the House of Representatives, I can tell you that no decisions were taken without the authority of the Prime Minister.
So that her level of toughness is something that all Cabinet members could speak to. She would not tolerate slackness and is extremely adamant on the objective for ministers to work harder to deliver on the critical needs of the people.
Some people openly wonder how she is able to resolutely perform her functions in spite of her health challenges? Her health concerns are well known. She has never made a secret of that matter but that is part of her openness and level of transparency in dealing with the public. Later in life, I may consider when I do my book writing a few pages well on the experience of working with a female boss.
Is she your first woman boss? Well, Clevon, that’s my second. I have been married 11 years now (loud laughter).
Mrs Persad-Bissessar’s latest dictum to her Cabinet spoke of ministers avoiding arrogance and the use of flashing blue lights. Was she on solid ground when she made that admonishment? Well, the Prime Minister’s injunction from day one was to serve the people and in so doing, a minister or any other public official cannot do so if you have an arrogance about yourself and your office.
The fact that she was moved to renew that injunction as you have indicated, does it mean you all were not taking cognisance of that early caution? I don’t think it is a case of officials in totality. I think it was a timely reminder of the humility that one needs to conduct their affairs in the right and proper manner. In this Government, several ministers over the past four years did conduct themselves in a manner that was unbecoming. There was a time in this country when a certain minister rode elevators by himself and the public had to be thrown out for the minister’s sole use.
Dr Moonilal, if we should look at your performance as the minister with responsibility for housing, how come we are still hearing the accusation from the Opposition that this regime has not built a single house over the last four-and-a-half years? Clevon, this is another deliberate fallacy being peddled by the PNM and that is the height of dishonesty that I spoke about earlier. We have built about 7,000 new housing units since we came into office (He rattled off these housing estates which are located in several areas throughout the country). We have built but what we also had to do was spend almost $100 million on repairing the bad work done on some of these projects built by the PNM in its last term in office.
We are giving out 1,000 units during this Christmas period and part of that are those estates that we have had to finish. Clevon, it is no secret that Las Alturas, in Morvant, is the most dramatic example of the PNM’s really “collapso” housing policy.
What are your getting at? Listen, there is a housing project in Central for example which they built over a gas line, which is under the housing estate, and this means we now have to redo that estate, change the direction of roads and so remove some of the units.
There are other projects which were built in a shoddy manner which cannot be distributed at this time and some of them are in the court for adjudication. And, Clevon, a related problem with this so-called housing policy of the PNM is the crime that the PNM created in this sector where they created ghettoes...
Dr Moonilal, I would like if you could please go no further attacking the PNM with these wild accusations… (Interrupting in an angry tone)
Clevon, I told you before that the PNM is intellectually bankrupt and dishonest, and you are not allowing me the opportunity to speak to that!
Today the PNM is a prisoner of a small clique in Port-of-Spain that has taken control of Rowley, and he is being fully supported by one or two influential people who have taken control of the PNM and they are determining the policies of the party.
Mr Minister, let us not go there, this is something for the campaign trail. Can I ask you one final question? (Moonilal cooling down). Why should anyone vote for the PP this time around? Briefly, Clevon, our record is second to none in providing good governance of which you don’t have the space to mention one tenth of our achievements under the astute leadership of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and for which we will be returned for a second term.
Last and final (laughs)...why should we not vote the PP?Why should someone not vote PP? I could think of no good reason but, of course, our detractors mesmerised by our achievements, and the mischief makers led by an intellectually dishonest PNM leadership will seek to portray mistakes and the biggest one that was unmasked was the e-mail disgrace concocted by the PNM.
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