Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has promised she will publicise the unedited Uff Report when her United National Congress (UNC) party gets into government, should Prime Minister Patrick Manning fail to do so. �.
Yesterday, Professor John Uff delivered the report of the Commission of Enquiry into Udecott and the construction sector to President George Maxwell Richards at President's House. The nation, she said, had been waiting for the report since the revelations made during the public hearings which unearthed evidence of what appears to be corruption in the highest offices of Udecott.�Recent reports of investigations into the actions of former executive chairman Calder Hart and the Prime Minister's steadfast, open and vocal support of Mr Hart during the inquiry, had made the public sensitive to the possibility of a cover-up, Persad-Bissessar added.
The UNC political leader said the Prime Minister used the opportunity to address the Senate yesterday to recycle old promises of new health facilities, "but then advised that these will be managed by Udecott, the same company which continues to operate under a haze of uncertainty, the stain of corruption and the failure to establish proper procurement procedures, and which was the subject of the Commission of Enquiry. "Where is he going to find the funds to finance his promises? Who is he fooling?" she asked. Persad-Bissessar added: "Once more these actions are illogical, insensitive and inappropriate. During the Commission of Enquiry, the PM openly supported Calder Hart whose actions while in office were being reviewed by the commission.
"Now in the face of the report, the Prime Minister shows open disregard and disdain by awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to Udecott, without the benefit of the findings of the Commission of Enquiry." Persad-Bissessar said the Prime Minister appears to be using his office to heap contempt upon contempt on the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the legal process. "I call on the Prime Minister to back off. His actions and words do not match, while saying 'let the law takes it course'�and 'nobody is above the law,' the Prime Minister seems inclined to ignore the�findings of the Commission of Enquiry even before knowing what they are." She added: "I challenge the Prime Minister to lay the Uff Commission Report in the Parliament now.
"Stop hiding behind red herrings and mamaguy. I promise the nation that if the Prime Minister does not lay the�report forthwith, I will ensure the report of the Uff Commission of Enquiry 2010 will be placed in the public domain when my party gets into government."