By Faith Edwards
FORMER Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales is dismissing claims that the cancellation of the WASA restructuring plan will save the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) $30 million annually, saying “nothing could be further from the truth.”
At a press conference held at Balisier House, Port of Spain on Friday, Gonzales said the newly approved executive structure at WASA will still cost taxpayers $2 million monthly and $24 million annually, the same as the previous structure it replaced.
“No difference from what is approved now compared to what was in operation at the executive level,” he said.
Gonzales explained that the real cost-saving element of the plan was not at the executive level, but within the broader management layer, where the plan proposed to reduce the number of managers from 422 to 246.
“The savings, however, would have come, with the restructuring or the transformation at range 60 to 68, where the plan was to move from managers of 382 to 208, from 422 managers to 246 managers, that was where the savings, was supposed to be achieved, It was not at the executive level,” he said.
Gonzales said the proposed transformation would have led to annual savings of more than $43 million after full implementation, savings now lost due to the cancellation of the plan.
He said, “With the truncation or the reduction of a management level from 422 persons to 246 persons, the cost savings after the full execution and implementation of the executive restructuring and or transformation would have resulted in savings of over $43million to the Authority annually, and that is what was ripped up yesterday by the honorable prime minister.”
Gonzales said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is misleading the public, claiming that she falsely told citizens that the cancellation would save WASA $30 million. He questioned how the authority would now be led, saying a return to the former leadership structure, which was never approved by Cabinet or the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), would only increase costs.
“You’re now increasing the cost of the management of the Authority contrary to what we were planning to do under the PNM government,” he said.
Gonzales also addressed the statements regarding a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), warning Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath to get his facts straight.
“I want to advise the Honourable Minister of Public Utilities that the loan the Government of Trinidad and Tobago signed with the IDB is for US$80 million,” Gonzales said.
He said the claim that there is currently $200 million sitting in the bank is inaccurate.
“When you lie and tell the population that we have $200 million just sitting there, it’s obvious you’re not doing your work and you’re not reading,” he added.
Gonzales explained that the IDB loan was structured in tranches, with the first $80 million set aside for specific, approved projects. Due to what he described as successful implementation and management, the first phase, initially expected to span 10 years, was completed in under two years.
“Because of that, we are now at a stage where we can enter into negotiations with the IDB to get additional resources so that we can continue to roll out our capital projects to improve water supply,” he said.
He also responded to claims made about water access under the United Nation Congress (UNC) administration in 2010-2015, denying reports that 74% of the population had 24/7 access under the UNC or any government. He stated that when the PNM began its projects in 2020, only 31% had continuous access, and that level of service moved to 61%.
He further clarified that the often-quoted 16% figure came from a single misstatement during a Joint Select Committee session, which was quickly corrected by WASA in an official release.
Gonzales said, “You have started on the wrong foot. You are behaving like a wajang… Governance is not about bacchanal, it is not about mahima or janja. Sit, listen to your advisors, and conduct yourself in an honourable way, because our citizens deserve better.”
