By Chantalé Fletcher
PRINCES Town MP Barry Padarath is asking whether the People’s National Movement Government wants to privatise the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT).
And he is calling on Minister of Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales to address matters affecting state company in which the government owns a 51% stake.
Speaking at an Opposition press conference on Sunday, Padarath questioned the resignation of five persons from a nine-member team.
He asked, “Is it because of the management of TSTT they resigned or were they not in favour of decisions being made about the retrenchment of workers?”
Padarath said the Minister must answer these questions.
He said, “The policy of any government comes from the Cabinet of T&T and the line minister.”
Padarath added that their actions may be an attempt to privatise TSTT.
He said TSTT was profitable when Kamla Persad-Bisseasar was prime minister but not under the current PNM administration.
Padarath asked whether TSTT was purposely being driven into the ground to ensure they were not profitable, so the Government can take the position to privatise and send workers home.
He said TSTT was a replica of Petrotrin.
Padarath called on Gonzales to say why the persons resigned from TSTT’s board.
He said, “Some of the same challenges identified in terms of the telecommunications industry globally were not new problems.”
Padarath questioned the impact of the $279 million acquisition of Massy Communications that put TSTT in the red.
Speaking on the TV6 News on Sunday evening, Gonzales categorically denied any plans to privatise TSTT.
