Former member of the Commission of Enquiry into the Piarco Development Project, Victor Hart, believes the Uff report will be published, because of the unprecedented public interest in it. Hart, head of T&T Transparency Institute (TTTI), who testified in the Uff inquiry, believes the great public interest in it will ensure a demand for publication of the report that Government will not be able to resist. "I believe that the report will be published, despite Government's poor track record with respect to the publication of such reports. "After six-and-a-half years, the Piarco Airport Commission of Enquiry report is yet to be tabled in Parliament and published. "After one year, the Caroni Bridge Collapse Enquiry Report is yet to be tabled in Parliament and published."
Hart does not believe that any action will be taken on any matter related to the inquiry before the report is made public, even though there is no need to wait. "TTTI's message to the commission was that there appeared to be need for the reform of procurement practices and procedures in some public agencies and we recommended certain reforms. "There is clearly enough evidence in the public domain to support the need for reform, and the process of reform can begin without waiting for the commission's report, if there is the political will to do so. "TTTI never accused anyone or any company of corruption. "However, we have noted that the evidence in the public domain about alleged wrongdoing calls for further investigation by the proper authorities, either to clear the names of the accused, or to hold them accountable.
"The question of laying charges should not arise, unless due process has been observed. "Therefore, we look to the authorities to undertake proper investigations before decisions are made to exonerate or to prosecute persons or companies." Hart felt the commission had served its purpose and the revelations that have come out of it, to date have validated the call by many for its setting up. "Specifically, the revelations about Udecott's procurement practices and procedures have validated the concerns expressed by many persons and shown clearly the need for reform." He said the inquiry gave all parties a fair hearing in full public glare, and the public had been educated about the issues identified in the President's Terms of Reference and were better able to draw their own conclusions. "The decision to use on-line and electronic means to broadcast the inquiry gave it an unprecedented level of transparency and credibility that has to be applauded, and hopefully, a precedent has been set for future inquiries.
"The impact on the public was marked and this was well demonstrated by the widespread public reactions when Udecott sought to use legal manoeuvres to frustrate the commissioners' work." Commenting on Government's general public expenditure on mega projects, Hart said it was hard to justify the spending of millions on the Tarouba Sporting Complex, the Waterfront Project and the National Academy for the Performing Arts, all done by Udecott. "Government has not offered any evidence to the commission to show meaningful consultation with stakeholders on the need for those projects, or that value for money was obtained from the spending of billions of taxpayers' dollars. "In the case of Tarouba and the academy projects, questions remain unanswered about poor planning, design and supervision."