Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert, a former contractor, turned his venom on local contractors against whom he once competed, according to Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday.
In his response to the national budget yesterday, which was presented by Finance Minister Karen Tesheira on Monday, Panday explained that the tiff between Imbert and local contractors resulted in the eruption of a war of words between Government and local contractors. "The Government began finding ways to avoid procurement issues, began pursuing design, finance, construct and design building projects and began granting multi-million dollar contracts to international companies with increasing reliance on Asian companies," Panday said. "Frenzied by money, the Patrick Manning regime began ignoring the smaller projects which were desperately needed and promised and began experimenting in mega construction," he added
Panday said that basic human needs were abandoned by the Government on the altar of mega projects.
"They have not turned back yet. The recklessness continues in the current budget. And corruption flourished," Panday said,"As Government revenues increased by 35 per cent in fiscal 2005 and then again by 37 per cent in fiscal 2006, the enormity of the boom began to sink in and the need for ethics, transparency and accountability no longer mattered to the Prime Minister and his cohorts. And so the reckless expenditure began in a frenzy."