Finance Minister Winston Dookeran believes the board of Caribbean Airlines should be dissolved. Dookeran said the board should be "reconstituted with persons with knowledge and competence in the field." He conveyed his views in a letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar two weeks ago. Dookeran's letter reads:
"In summary, my views are as follows:
• The board does not have knowledge or competence in the issues pertaining to airline business.
• The board does not have any appreciation for the issues of good corporate governance.
"The commercial stakes are high and the cost of political inaction will be high as well."
The George Nicholas-chaired board has been mired in controversy since it was appointed last November. Two weeks after assuming office, it fired former chief executive Captain Ian Brunton, indulged in a public rift and reconciliation with line Minister Jack Warner and then began infighting with each other. Warner already has presented a note to Cabinet, compiled by permanent secretary Cheryl Blackman, advising that the board be dissolved. But Cabinet referred the matter to the Finance and General Purposes Committee. On Sunday, the Prime Minister said she was awaiting a report before making a decision on the controversial board.
"It was referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee and I have not had a report from that Finance Committee," she told reporters. The T&T Guardian was privy to Dookeran's letter yesterday, which had a question in the Prime Minister's handwriting:
The response, signed by Persad-Bissessar on April 15, asked: "Mr Dookeran, do these views represent those of the committee?" Dookeran's position was conveyed two weeks ago, along with his recommendations as to who the new board should constitute.
His letter read: "For your consideration, I propose that you may wish to ascertain whether the following persons may have an interest in serving on the board:
• Conrad Aleong (an experienced airline executive);
• Michael Dolsingh (an experienced airline executive with clear insight into operations);
• Ian Bertrand (an executive with experience in airline management).
"I suggest that Mr Aleong be made chairman and additional competencies in the field of law, accountancy and corporate governance be included in the reconstituted board."
Presently, Aleong, a former chief executive of BWIA, acts as adviser to Dookeran at the Ministry of Finance. He also co-authored a "High Level Business Appraisal of CAL", which was handed to the Minister of Finance on June 18, 2010. Dookeran also suggested a search begins for a new chief executive. Since Brunton's dismissal, Robert Corbie has acted as chief executive. On Wednesday, the board held an emergency meeting at its Piarco offices. Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner had given the board the greenlight to meet to discuss issues, such as the entrance of low-fare carrier, REDjet, into the market. The board includes vice-chairman Mohan Jaikaran, Allan Clovis, Gizelle Russell, Avedanand Persad, Susan Smith and Venosh Sageewan Maraj.
Govt on CAL's replacement
Finance Minister Winston Dookeran met with Caribbean Airlines' George Nicholas at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday to discuss cost of Caribbean Airlines' wet-leased plane to Brazil. At yesterday's post-Cabinet briefing Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath said Cabinet was unaware of the issue and had commissioned a report from CAL. Yesterday, the T&T Guardian reported Caribbean Airlines (CAL) was scheduled to pay US$350,000 (approximately TT$2.2 million) to wet lease a plane to replace a Boeing 737 aircraft which was chartered by the Government for its trip to Brazil. In a release yesterday CAL said that US$85,000 for the round-trip charter, of a 154-seater Boeing 737 aircraft, to attend the World Economic Forum in Brazil.