Rent for Alexandra Place unacceptable

Given the high-voltage politics that we experience daily, there is a blame game which seeks to put the People’s National Movement (PNM) administration at fault for this wastage of public funds. The United National Congress (UNC) is, however, equally guilty for this white elephant that haunts the Treasury.

The PNM administration would have initiated the lease agreement and paid $4.3 million in rent while in office during 2010.

The UNC-led People’s Partnership (PP) government however made things worst by continuing this lease and failing to occupy the building. The PP administration paid $48 million in rent for an unoccupied building over its five-year term.

The rental value of $600,000 plus VAT monthly is a slap in the face for taxpayers. It does not take an actuary to see that the State could have purchased this building four times with the $116 million plus spent on it over the last six years.

The Government has to stop sending mixed signals to the public.

How can taxpayers be comfortable knowing that both administrations failed to act in the public interest with the this rental. While today, in these tough economic times, we are honouring a dishonourable transaction and smiling, as the Government now enters to occupy this “palace” called One Alexandra Place, six years later.

The scenario of signing a lease agreeing to pay $600,000 a month plus VAT, agreeing to outfit the building and pay close to a million dollars a year in security to guard an empty building is outrageous.

There is no way that either administration can justify this massive drain on the Treasury.

People wonder why our economy is in this situation but the answers are right in front of us daily.

This One Alexandra (“the great”) Place was said to be a “big scandal” by then opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley.

He hailed the big scandal to be that the building was not being occupied but there were other circumstances as well.

The most unsavoury part of all of this is that paying $600,000 plus VAT a month in 2010 is bad but is even worse attempting to pay that outrageous rent in the “hard times” of 2016. In times of job losses, salary cuts, increased taxes, cutbacks in social and education programmes, postponements of backpay and outstanding contractor fees to weather the economic storm, One Alexandra Place prevails.

The citizens are being told to “tighten their belts and hold strain” but the property owners and businessmen get to keep charging the taxpayers top dollar and our Government fails to even try to negotiate the price downwards on our behalf. This is unacceptable.

RONALD HUGGINS St Joseph