Why the opposition now, asks Rowley

When the PNM government of 1991-1995 restructured the Port, PTSC, IDC and the Tourist Board and privatised Printing and Packaging nobody from the UNC or outside tried to inflame passions in the way it is now being done now that Caroni Ltd is facing the same restructuring process.

So said Planning Minister Keith Rowley as he addressed a large public meeting in HiLo Car Park, St Augustine, on Friday night. Rowley said Caroni seemed to be a Republic unto itself. In its entire life it never once filed an Income Tax Return. Rowley attacked Sat Maharaj for saying that the lands at Caroni rightfully belonged to the workers saying that the government owned Caroni and therefore all the assets belonged to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Rowley stated that he never heard that kind of argument with any other of the State companies which were privatised and restructured for the same reason — economic public policy. “But you have people trying to tell you “don’t touch Caroni they will create problems and government ministers cannot walk in Central,” But Rowley charged: “I want to tell Kelvin Ramnath tonight that if he could walk in the UNC I could walk anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago because I was not the one who had a placard in front of my platform saying ‘Indians for sale check out Panday.’ It was Kelvin Ramnath,” he said to loud cheers.

Rowley went through the accounts of Caroni in painstaking detail. He said the January 31, 2003 account showed that Caroni’s liabilities to First Citizens Bank was $35 million; unpaid interest to FCB $8.4 million; liabilities to FCB Merchant Bank $65 million; Republic Bank $130 million; Republic Bank $483 million; interest on all those loans $40 million making a grand total of $764 million. In addition to this they also owed Republic Bank $100 million and they owed $438 million in Caroni guaranteed fixed bonds and as well as $120 million in restructured loans making a total of $658 million. Rowley said Caroni also owed staff through the pension fund $119 million; the company owed government for PAYE) which was held and not remitted) $90 million; even arrears on garnishee $10 million Health Surcharge withheld and not remitted $54 million; VAT $10 million — green fund $36 million. “They owe WASA $26 million Rowley said provoking cries of surprise from the crowd. They owe NGC $68 million and the interest on all their statutory liabilities Rowley said was $267 million making a total of $495 million.

Rowley added that under their trading arrangement Caroni also owed $228 million “and this is the company the government is trying to restructure and their spokesmen are saying give the workers the land.” Rowley promised that Government will spend half the money which had been spent over the years on Caroni in a different way and still make Central Trinidad a paradise. Rowley said his ministry was currently identifying uses to which land could be put. He cited a programme of afforestation as one of the plans being considered.