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Thursday, July 10, 2025

PM: Moonilal made OWTU refinery bid unsure

by

Renuka Singh
2091 days ago
20191019
Prime Minister Dr Keith rowley address supporters during the PNM’s post budget meeting at Piggots corner, Belmont last night.

Prime Minister Dr Keith rowley address supporters during the PNM’s post budget meeting at Piggots corner, Belmont last night.

AISTO ALVES

Prime Min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley said that the sus­pi­cions raised in Par­lia­ment by Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Mooni­lal against the Oil­fields Work­ers Trade Union (OW­TU) fi­nanciers to take over the re­fin­ery may top­ple the en­tire deal.

He said that Mooni­lal rais­ing ques­tions about who would ben­e­fit from the sale of the re­fin­ery and ques­tions about whether the Prime Min­is­ter was in­volved in some un­der­hand­ed bid to sell off the re­fin­ery for pri­vate prof­it would hurt the OW­TU's chance of se­cur­ing a loan.

"He has prej­u­diced the OW­TU's abil­i­ty to deal with bankers and right now, I am not sure what the out­come is go­ing to be," he said.

He likened Mooni­lal's state­ments to the neg­a­tive re­ports that jeop­ar­dised and even­tu­al­ly broke the San­dals deal that the PNM was work­ing out for To­ba­go.

"Of course he has the gall to tell the Gov­ern­ment that we must leave the prob­lem of the re­fin­ery un­til af­ter the elec­tion," he said.

"What is the ra­tio­nale be­hind leav­ing it? I know he has a big pock­et, but I don't think he could thief that," Row­ley said.

He said as Prime Min­is­ter, he did not hold any grudges against the OW­TU.

"The best bid won and the OW­TU was the best bid and we are quite pre­pared to do what we have to do to get it done and get the re­fin­ery restart­ed," he said.

"The same way they chase away the San­dals project... is the same way they are try­ing to un­der­mine the OW­TU," he said.


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