The deputy chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) Zabar Mohammed Baksh has resigned. His resignation was confirmed by Udecott chairman Jearlean John yesterday. She said she received the resignation email at 3 am last Saturday morning. "It had become too much for him. But he will surely be missed," she told the Trinidad Guardian. Baksh said he left the company for personal reasons. "There's very little I could do without compromising my health," he explained. He observed that if he were 20 years younger, he'd be up to the challenge Udecott presented.
At 70, he did not want to devote his attention to unravelling Udecott's complicated financials for the next few years. "There are a few things which could go better but that is for the board to decide," he said. Despite this, he remains committed to serving the People's Partnership government in any other capacity for which he is suitable as long as it is a "less stressful environment." Questioned on whether his exit was linked to the dismissal of former Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring minister, Mary King, who was Udecott's line minister, Baksh declined to comment on that issue. Instead he offered: "I have lived my life with moral qualities and I could not have done justice to what was required of me." Baksh is no stranger to public service. He pointed out that he had served as financial comptroller at the Port Authority for eight years.
"I'm well aware of the demands of public service," he remarked. Meanwhile, the Guardian learnt that two other directors are also contemplating their exit from Udecott. One of them has complained that John's management style is "autocratic." But John described her approach to the board as "conservative."
John confirmed that Udecott should have a new chief executive in 14 days. A shortlist of names has been prepared and given that the firm hired had not done an international search for a CEO, the new CEO will be local, she said. Since March, Manager of Special Projects, Greer Quan, has been been acting chief executive. Quan and four other employees were suspended in July 2010 pending investigations into the State-owned enterprise. She resumed duties on March 9.
On February 4, after ten months without one, a new board was appointed to Udecott. John, who replaced the infamous Calder Hart, was still chairman during that time and was re-appointed. The other board members are Charles Balkaran, Dr Victoria Phillips-Jerome, Glenn Parmassar, Damian Hares, Shankar Bidaisee, Brian Anthony Lewis and Eli Zakour.