I take full responsibility for NHA’s work

Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley stated yesterday that he took full responsibility for the work done by the NHA. He was speaking one day after Prime Minister Patrick Manning threatened to fire the entire NHA Board if it did not act in accordance with Government policy and relocate the squatters at Union Hall at Thompson Gardens. Manning had identified a deadline of last Friday for this action. Executive director of NHA, Noel Garcia declined comment on the Prime Minister’s threat. Rowley, in defence of the NHA, said the Authority was not given funds to effect the relocation of squatters. He told Newsday in an interview any shift in policy would require, for its implementation, the Authority receiving these funds.

Rowley stated that when the Prime Minister publicly indicated that there was a need for a shift in policy, his Ministry took the initative of  seeking Cabinet’s approval for the resources to bring about the policy shift. “Once the NHA has the resources to effect that policy, the new policy would be effected,” he stated. “We do not have money in our budget for relocating people. However, if people are to be relocated, we would have to get that (money). And we have taken steps to get that... The change in policy has certain financial considerations and in anticipation of that a note has been taken to the  Cabinet to get the resources to effect this change in policy.”

Asked whether squatters would be relocated from hereon,  Rowley stated that if there were instances where people had to be relocated and there was a policy to do this as well as the money, then it would be effected. He stressed however that the NHA would continue to concentrate on its building programme — “on fulfilling its mandate of building 10,000 houses each year over the next few years. We remain focused on that,” he emphasised. However in this area of housing there are some challenges which the agencies would have to face, he said. One was dealing with squatters seeking to occupy the very lands on which the targeted (NHA) programme is geared to build homes. The other challenge, he noted, was getting people who have received houses from the NHA to pay their rents and mortgages.  The third challenge identified by the Minister was the question of the conditions under which NHA workers are managed, housed and the productivity of NHA workers.

Noting that all of these challenges required action, and more specifically certain changes, to bring about significant improvement, Rowley stated: “We stay focused and I have every confidence that the morale of the staff which is now quite high would remain high because that is what is required in order to execute this programme.” Rowley  stated that this was all he wished to say on this matter. The issue of the squatters at Union Hall fell neatly into the debate on a private motion calling on Government to stop discrimination which took place in the House of Representatives yesterday.

UNC MP Harry Partap said discrimination was being “acutely felt” by the squatters in Wallerfield and Cashew Gardens, who were not afforded the same privilege as those at Union Hall. He said while Manning was saying one thing, the Minister of Housing was saying another. “And while the elephants fighting, the poor people are suffering,” he said. Partap stated that when Manning first called Rowley a “rottweiler,” he (Rowley) welcomed the description. “But now he is going a bit further. He is saying that he is acting without a human face... Obviously if you don’t have a human face, you have an animal face. Why is he insulting the Minister of Housing so?” Partap then asked: “You think in a UNC government the Minister of Housing would be breaking down houses and the Prime Minister wouldn’t know?” He said while the infighting within the PNM was going on, poor people were suffering.