Cuffie: TT ditches conference

A statement from his ministry yesterday outlined his remarks in the recent Lower House Standing Finance Committee where he replied to a query from Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe.

“Taxpayers do not have to foot the bill for the 11th Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Biennial Conference which was originally expected to be held in Trinidad,” said the statement.

Cuffie said the Government had decided that this country’s economic circumstances merit hosting the event.

“We could not afford it,” he said. “You know, the last Commonwealth conference we hosted, you all did not support. So I am surprised that you are asking us to hold another one.” He said the Government was heavily chided over the cost of its hosting of the recent 12th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas.

The Minister said Malaysia instead hosted CAPAM, from August 18 to 20, a forum for ministers, public servants and academics to shares ideas on policies and practices in the Commonwealth and elsewhere. Cuffie added that the Ministry also saved money by cancelling a project, the Open Government Partnership.

“I was not sure of the value of it, and it required the expenditure of foreign exchange. It was based on a World Bank loan that the Ministry had to pay, and at the time I do not think we could meet the commitment.

We stopped this project some time ago and nobody has asked us about it.”