Gonzales: How will government fund T&TEC?

Opposition chief whip and Arouca/Lopinot MP Marvin Gonzales speaks at a media conference held at the Office of the Opposition Leader, Port of Spain, on August 6. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle

MARVIN GONZALES, Arouca/Lopinot MP and former public utilities minister, wants to know how the government will fund T&TEC, after its scrapping of the the report by the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) which sets rates for an affordable yet realistic electricity rate after widespread public consultations.

He was addressing a briefing at the Opposition Leader’s office in Port of Spain on August 6.

Gonzales asked how T&TEC would be funded including its current $7 billion debt to state-run gas supplier the National Gas Company (NGC).

He said the former government had held many consultations, towards ensuring T&TEC’s survival while taking into the needs of local manufacturers for whom electricity was a vital input.

“We had not arrived at any decision,” he said.

Gonzales doubted the government had read the latest RIC report. He dubbed the government’s scraping of the report “a rash campaign decision.”

Told that the population had voted to ditch the RIC report in the April 28 general election, he replied, “If you damage T&TEC, all of us will suffer.”

Of the whole idea of the population voting for the easier/less costly option, he said, “That is the nature of governance”

However, he also said the government now had an obligation to tell citizens where it would find increased funding for T&TEC including paying its bill to the NGC.

“T&TEC’s ability will be impacted.” He said someone will have to pay this cost for T&TEC. “It will be a billion dollar decision.”

Newsday asked what was the present electricity rate in Trinidad and Tobago, compared to the rest of the world.

He said the TT rate was five cents US currency per kilowatt hour consumed, while the average rate globally was 15 cents in the US denomination.

Gonzales was also concerned at the recent non-payment to contractors working for the National Maintenance Training Company (MTS) which supplies security guards and janitorial services to public buildings like schools, clinics, law courts and other public buildings. He said he had heard of MTS contractors were now awaiting payment, even as some garbage remained uncollected.

“You are seeing gross incompetence and the inability to manage a complex country.

Gonzales said in his time as minister, he would ask his permanent secretary to phone other permanent secretaries in the MTS’ client ministries of housing, education and finance so as to get releases paid to the MTS.

He said Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath should now be emulating him in this regard, but lamented a current state of affairs.

“So many employees are going without wages.” Asked how many staff were at MTS (such as janitors and security guards), he replied “700.”

He concluded, “The PNM makes governance look too easy. That is our problem.”