If a senior PNM member "enjoys luxury rides" on a friend's yacht or visits the luxurious home of another and is "wined and dined," does this mean that such persons should not receive contracts if the PNM ever assumes Government? That's the question Gary Griffith, national security adviser to the Prime Minister, is posing following comments by former Prime Minister Patrick Manning's statements about the rental of a Federation Park house between 2005 and 2007.
Griffith also replied to PNM leader Keith Rowley's continuing attack on the Government regarding an NP contract. The PNM has taken Government to task on the issue and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's stay at a Tunapuna house in May 2010 owned by one of the bidders for the NP award. The State rented a Federation Park house owned by Vinsed Investments Ltd, for Manning's occupancy while the Prime Minister's St Ann's residence was being renovated. This was at a cost of $1.3 million over the two-year period.
Manning, however, said Persad-Bissessar should not have stayed at a Tunapuna residence, owned by businessman Ralph Gopaul, after the 2010 election. While he stayed at his south home and commuted for eight months after becoming PM in 2001, Manning said he had to stay at Federation Park over 2005-2007 because it was necessary to be in the capital for work. Griffith however replied: "So Manning stays at a house in Port-of-Spain because of his work schedule and it costs the State over $1.3 million, but the new PM does the same, at no cost to the State and it is an issue-that is blatant hypocrisy of the PNM.
"The only difference between these two scenarios is that one associate did not charge the PM to stay at Tunapuna. So does it mean if the Gopauls had sent a cosmetic bill and caused the taxpayers to be burdened with this cost, that there would not have been a problem?" Griffith claimed, "If a very senior PNM member who I know for example enjoys luxury rides on a friend's yacht on weekends and visits the home of another who has a luxurious home and he is wined and dined, and because they are businessmen-not that it would ever happen in his lifetime, but if PNM was in Government-does this mean that such persons should not receive contracts and be victimised?"
Griffith added: "The PNM's overall arguments make no sense. How far and ridiculous can this go? There have been US Presidents and other world leaders who stay at the homes of good friends who are businessmen, when they go on vacation. "Not once have their political opponents been so petty and desperate to find a red herring such as this to make it an issue. Nobody is accusing GV Holdings or Vinsed of doing anything wrong, because there is absolutely nothing wrong if you can accommodate a PM and receive several State contracts." Griffith added, "Whether you are friends with a Government official or not is not the issue for selection of contracts but what matters is if you are capable of doing the job."