Young: UNC must account for wastage

The UNC must also stop misleading the population about the true expenditure by the former People’s Partnership (PP) government (of which the UNC was part) on a Divali function which former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar hosted on October 16, 2014, at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.

This was the message sent yesterday by Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, stuart Young, as he released invoices of monies paid to four caterers for that event, at a news conference at the AG and Legal Affairs Tower in Port-of-spain.

Young also provided documentation to show that in the 2014/2015 period the PP spent $1,677,719.79, $1,095,854.70, $938,803.06, and $611,032,98 for Divali, Children’s Christmas Party, spiritual Baptist dinner and an emancipation dinner, respectively. For the same events under the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) for 2015/2016, the respective costs were $220,409,06, $452,941.76, $257,625.78, and $301,869.

He rejected claims yesterday by Princes Town MP Barry Padarath that pictures on Persad-Bissessar’s Facebook page showed that 4,000 people attended the Divali function. Padarath, who worked as an aide in the Office of the Prime Minister under Persad-Bissessar, said no one caterer was used for the event and any invoice showing catering for 900 people would have been based on the amount given to each caterer to provide a full meal of roti, saheena, pholourie, channa, pumpkin, kurhi, rice, soya, bhagie, mango, cutlery and service charge.

As he outlined the figures contained in the invoices together with the PP’s expenditure on other events during its tenure, Young said, “This is not really a conversation about anything other than a reckless spending by the former regime and the former administration in comparison to what has been taking place since september 2015.”

He explained the records in the Government’s possession show “there were three caterers and the figure that comes up is 900 (people) and there is nowhere close to 4,000 people being catered for.”

s and s Caterers of Couva had a signed invoice dated October 16, 2014, in which it catered for 900 people. Rice was charged at a unit cost of $65 per person for a total of $58,500. No unit costs were listed for other food items such as roti, mango, salad and pumpkin. For a staff of 30 people, s and s charged a unit cost of $300 for a total of $9,000. Other costs included rental of crockery and cutlery ($4,720), disposables such as napkins and paper trays ($5,280) and transport ($2,500).

J and J Roti Plus of Barataria had an invoice dated October 16, 2014, for $87,500 for 900 people. The cost of food for this caterer was $67,500 but no breakdown of food items was provided. This invoice included an increase of $3,000 for additional staff recruited and additional rental equipment.

A and C Caterers of Claxton Bay had an invoice dated October 17, 2014, for $88,350. This caterer charged $65 per person for 1,050 people for a total cost of $68,250.

Other costs of $10,000 for 20 servers; $6,900 for rental of stock pots, waiters, warmers, knives and forks; and $3,200 for the transport of food and workers formed part of the invoice.

Boomerang Caterers of Maraval had an invoice of $120,625 for bar services for the event, which included the provision of fresh fruit juices, soft drinks and water.

All four invoices were signed by the Urban Development Corporation of TT, which manages the Diplomatic Centre and the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in st Ann’s.

Young challenged the UNC “to try to defend this extravagant and reckless spending under their administration.” He reiterated, “That is what the conversation is about. The conversation is about us moving away from corruption and us moving away from profligacy and us moving now to a protection of our taxpayers’ dollars.”

while no audit has been done with respect to the expenditure on this event, Young said it is possible that one could be conducted in order to determine how this great disparity in price occurred. However, with more pressing governance issues to deal with, Young said, “so if it is that something jumps out, then it is something that we will take a look into. This having been drawn into the public arena, it is something that we will ask a particular arm to take a look at.”