By Sue-Ann Wayow
OPPOSITION leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is standing by her statements that the appointment of Eugene Tiah to the five-member panel to investigate the deaths of the four underwater divers is tainted and politically motivated.
In a statement on Monday, she criticised the Energy Chamber for making the recommendation stating their backing of Tiah was “shameful.”
The Chamber had issued a statement confirming that Tiah’s selection was based on the Chamber’s recommendation without any consultation from Energy Minister Stuart Young.
Persad-Bissessar asked, “Almost immediately after my questioning of the appointment of Mr Tiah, the Energy Chamber responded to support the Rowley Government. Was this overtly political and boorish statement unanimously supported by all members of its executive management including the members representing oil and gas multinationals?”
She said, “It is shameful that members of the board of the T&T Energy Chamber see no issue with Mr Tiah’s presence on this committee…T&T’s energy industry is in dire straits, but it appears that along with the nation’s falling gas production, professional standards among those on the board of the Energy Chamber have plummeted as well.”
Listing members of the energy chamber board including Mark Loquan of NGC, Arlene Chow of Heritage Petroleum and Vernon Paltoo of National Energy, Persad-Bissessar said they all were Government appointed.
“Furthermore, every single member of the board of the Energy Chamber represents companies who depend on the state for contracts and licenses and are therefore clients of the state,” she added.
Persad-Bissessar said that the Energy Chamber may well have questions to answer in this investigation, regarding the quality or legitimacy of Safe to Work (STOW) certifications conferred on companies involved.
She said, “The Paria Fuel tragedy was the worst industrial accident in our nation for nearly forty years. It is of critical importance that the public have complete confidence in the investigative committee to unearth the truth in this matter, not just for the families of the deceased but for the entire nation.
“It is imperative that justice must not only be done in this tragedy, justice must also be seen to be done. It is in this light that Eugene Tiah’s appointment is completely unacceptable and any findings may be tainted by actual bias or apparent bias. I urge the Trinidad and Tobago Energy Chamber to decide whether it’s a vehicle to lobby for the best interests of the energy sector or just an echo chamber of cheerleaders for this failing Rowley Government. It can’t be both.”
Energy Minister Stuart Young had condemned Persad-Bissessar’s previous statements stating that she was becoming desperate.
