THE establishment of a Cabinet sub-committee to look at TSTT is just another plot to privatise the State enterprise.
This according to Opposition Shadow Minister for Public Utilities Barry Padarath in a release on Thursday just after Minister of Energy and Minister in the Office of Prime Minister Stuart Young made the announcement at the post-cabinet press conference.
The release stated that Padarath said that within recent times the government gave the population the impression that it had taken a hands-off approach to TSTT, while allowing the management of TSTT to take the fall for the company’s financial troubles.
It stated, “Now at the eleventh hour when employees are already facing the axe and the union is facing extinction, the government has announced the setting up of a Cabinet Sub-Committee.”
The release stated that the committee comes too late and it will accomplish nothing but selling off the assets of TSTT to friends and financiers of the PNM.
It stated, “Further, in the face of the establishment of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, Padarath calls for TSTT to halt terminating any employees and to halt transferring any assets to Amplia.”
He stated that if any meaningful work was to be done by the Committee, it must involve and address the employees and the assets of the company. He added that it cannot be a simple case of determining the value of the company.
Padarath said it was disturbing that the Cabinet Sub-Committee had no specific terms of reference and timeline to compile its report.
The release stated, “The announcement today gave very little details and is shrouded in secrecy. Padarath reminded the country that the purchase of Massy Communication for over $255 million by TSTT was done in a very clandestine way as well and that history was repeating itself at TSTT.”
Padarath said that over one year has elapsed since the report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on WASA was filed in the Parliament and little or nothing has been done to date.
Padarath said he expected the opposite to happen to TSTT since it appears that government is anxious to sell out TSTT to their friends, financiers and family of the PNM.
