PNM in Gov't(2015-2020)

[eliteauto]

What dry docking facility in Chaguaramas is closed? More specifically which was closed by the state?

[K74T]

In for the backpedal

[gastly369]

https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2016/0 ... n-project/

[ADONI]

Use to hear the old folks saying back in the day. Chinee running shop and when u couldn't pay for grocery and supplies, they fool u into signing over your land...

[The_Honourable]

PM defends CHEC deal



Prime Min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley is de­fend­ing the Gov­ern­ment’s deal with a Chi­nese firm once black­list­ed by the World Bank for bribery and fraud al­le­ga­tions.

The com­pa­ny, Chi­na Har­bour En­gi­neer­ing Co Ltd (CHEC), has been re­tained by the Gov­ern­ment for the dry­dock­ing fa­cil­i­ty planned for La Brea. How­ev­er, while CHEC has been of­fered 30 per cent eq­ui­ty in the new fa­cil­i­ty, it is still un­clear how much the project will cost the coun­try.

The com­pa­ny has been the sub­ject of neg­a­tive re­ports com­ing out of West Africa, Guinea, Bangladesh and, clos­er to home, in the Cay­man Is­lands. All the re­ports high­light bribery, fraud or cor­rup­tion al­le­ga­tions lev­elled against CHEC.

Back in June, the New York Times re­port­ed that the out­go­ing Sri Lankan gov­ern­ment had signed a bil­lion-dol­lar deal with the com­pa­ny. But the in­com­ing gov­ern­ment strug­gled to make pay­ments on those debts and was forced to hand over its new port as well as 15,000 acres of land sur­round­ing it.

But Row­ley is not con­cerned that the same thing will hap­pen with the T&T Gov­ern­ment’s arrange­ment.

“How many peo­ple do you know or have heard about who had to hand over their house or car to a bank or cred­it union?” he asked.

“Does that mean that no one should ever en­ter in­to a loan arrange­ment for a house or car? Cir­cum­stances and arrange­ments dif­fer as they ex­ist or are made.

“That is why we as­sessed our own unique at­trib­ut­es and, ad­di­tion­al­ly, we got the Chi­nese to not just be a hired con­trac­tor to the project, but we ne­go­ti­at­ed them in­to the project as eq­ui­ty hold­ers so they share the risk and have an in­cen­tive to bring busi­ness to the fa­cil­i­ty from the huge in­ter­na­tion­al Chi­nese mer­chant ma­rine and oth­er users.”

He said on his vis­it to Chi­na last year he met with the Pres­i­dent and Pre­mier “and asked them to en­cour­age Chi­nese com­pa­nies to not just be con­trac­tors but to make di­rect for­eign in­vest­ment in the econ­o­my of T&T to bring growth and di­ver­si­fi­ca­tion which is what we are af­ter.

“They both agreed that they will sup­port T&T na­tion­al pol­i­cy and would en­cour­age their com­pa­nies to in­vest ‘in projects which make eco­nom­ic sense,’” Row­ley said.

Row­ley said the “ground­break­ing” La Brea project, which he has promised will pro­vide 5,000 jobs, is on­ly the first of these type of arrange­ments with for­eign gov­ern­ments.

Asked how much the deal will cost, the PM said, “We are cur­rent­ly work­ing to­wards that.”

Back in 2014, the then Unit­ed Na­tion­al Con­gress (UNC) signed a sim­i­lar deal with the same com­pa­ny for the de­vel­op­ment of an eco­nom­ic zone, a trans­ship­ment port and dry­dock­ing fa­cil­i­ties. That agree­ment was pegged at $500 mil­lion and was signed by for­mer trade and in­dus­try min­is­ter Vas­ant Bharath.

Con­tact­ed via text mes­sage on the UNC’s arrange­ment back then, Bharath said, “I don’t know the de­tails (of the cur­rent deal) but, in essence, it looks the same dry­dock­ing and trans­ship­ment fa­cil­i­ties. Fund­ing was al­ready ap­proved at two per cent with a five-year mora­to­ri­um for re­pay­ment and de­signs have al­ready been done and ap­proved.”

But Row­ley’s arrange­ment has one key dif­fer­ence: the CHEC will hold 30 per cent share in the fa­cil­i­ty.

“So the UNC signed that deal? So it was a state se­cret? So the Chi­nese had eq­ui­ty in their deal?” Row­ley asked, re­spond­ing to ques­tions about the sim­i­lar­i­ties in both arrange­ments.

Row­ley added if the deal was the same as the UNC’s then there should be no ques­tions about the cost.

“Since they al­ready signed the deal, they should be able to give you a fig­ure,” he said.

How­ev­er, he con­firmed that no cost has yet been de­ter­mined on this project.

While there is limited available informational on the new deal, the old 2014 deal promised de­liv­ery in 36 months af­ter sign­ing. It included con­struc­tion of a large con­tain­er and a bulk trans­fer ter­mi­nal; deep­wa­ter chan­nel ex­ca­va­tion, basin dredg­ing, off­shore recla­ma­tion and ter­mi­nal land con­struc­tion; large dry dock con­struc­tion and an out­fit­ting ter­mi­nal for ship­build­ing and re­pair­ing.

Source: http://guardian.co.tt/news/pm-defends-c ... 3e4a45f216

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Well they does say it takes a bandit to know a bandit....oh well

[hydroep]

Wait nuh, Sh!tkicker is not the same dunce who was condemning the PP Government for getting involved with then highway contractor OAS because of their involvement in corruption scandal(s)?

This man really pull a number on his supporters yes. No wonder all ah dem cacahole so quiet now...

[gastly369]

Weeee ayee...idk if to laugh or cry again tbh nah

[Premchand1976]

Wait nuh, Sh!tkicker is not the same dunce who was condemning the PP Government for getting involved with then highway contractor OAS because of their involvement in corruption scandal(s)?

This man really pull a number on his supporters yes. No wonder all ah dem cacahole so quiet now...

I refuse to believe ppl still so chupid .....then again I look at the red and ready crew and realise........they still exist......smh

[toyota2nr]

Well fine den. Spend a few billions and split the country in two.

unc and pnm sides. We will work the kinks out as we go along.

Which side will more prosperous and have less crime?

[Soul Collector]

Wait nuh, Sh!tkicker is not the same dunce who was condemning the PP Government for getting involved with then highway contractor OAS because of their involvement in corruption scandal(s)?

This man really pull a number on his supporters yes. No wonder all ah dem cacahole so quiet now...

I refuse to believe ppl still so chupid .....then again I look at the red and ready crew and realise........they still exist......smh

The man could stand up behind his supporters and lego wood in dey mc but all you gona hear is pee en em till ah dead while they still getting ride like the fools they are.

[Premchand1976]

Well fine den. Spend a few billions and split the country in two.

unc and pnm sides. We will work the kinks out as we go along.

Which side will more prosperous and have less crime?

That's a no brainier......

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Well fine den. Spend a few billions and split the country in two.

unc and pnm sides. We will work the kinks out as we go along.

Which side will more prosperous and have less crime?

The side who has the backing of the 1%

[The_Honourable]

Sigh... even when Rowley slate win, all of them who vex will vote him back in 2020.

(Click to enlarge)

[Rovin]

this country like a football between these 2 jackass parties & their die hard supporters .......

[j.o.e]

Is a Sunshine newspapers a man post dey? Wow.... didn’t know they still existed

[bluefete]

Is a Sunshine newspapers a man post dey? Wow.... didn’t know they still existed

Best papers boy. Sunshine is like what the Mirror used to be when Keith Shepperd was alive.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Rowly winning that internal with closed eyes

[Gladiator]

Rowly winning that internal with closed eyes

Isn't he running unopposed?

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Rowly winning that internal with closed eyes

Isn't he running unopposed?

Exactly

[sMASH]

The tribe is all that matters. They will come and go, we will come and go, it matters not, so long as the tribe is successful over all others.

[The_Honourable]

Study the graphics

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Budget day looming...wat to expect???

[The_Honourable]

Budget day looming...wat to expect???

We eh riot yet so they might hit we a few more lashes

[gastly369]

"tighten yuh belt"

Even more

[shake d livin wake d dead]

"tighten yuh belt"

Even more

Any tighter and yuh go sheit yuhself

[ScHoolboySoloQ]

If you are not part of the 1% you have no say in what goes on. Regardless of how much you cry and scream to be heard you won't be heard because you are not someone who has power. Elections are rigged in favour of the 1%, all political parties are just puppets that do their dirty work. All for the love of money.

[De Dragon]

"tighten yuh belt"

Even more

Also, learnt to peel cassava a la JUHN Scarfy Oreo
Meanwhile, BILLIONS being borrowed to "maintain the lifestyle that we are accustomed to" or more accurately, the lifestyle he and his cronies, financiers and friends are accustomed to.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

I saying there is the possibility of increased TTEC rates, we all know alco and cigarettes going up(doesn't affect me).....property tax may be brought to the front again(because this topic has been quiet for some time)

[timelapse]

If you are not part of the 1% you have no say in what goes on. Regardless of how much you cry and scream to be heard you won't be heard because you are not someone who has power. Elections are rigged in favour of the 1%, all political parties are just puppets that do their dirty work. All for the love of money.

I fed up of this 1% shiet. The 99% put them where they are and keep them there.That means you. Take account for your own actions. If you are so against the 1%, stop buying KFC, go by a seamstress/tailor and get your clothes made, grow your own food. Stop put the control of your own life under other people's control.