Reference is made to a Newsday article: Dillon: 6,000 houses by fiscal 2020 Govt signs US $71m contract with Chinese company” where Minister of Housing, Edmund Dillon is quoted as saying “This morning I consider to be a very defining moment in the housing construction industry in TT,”
Between May and June of 2019, the government made it public, that the citizenry is set to receive 6000 new homes for low-income housing. Architects would certainly be the first to acknowledge that the need for housing in Trinidad and Tobago is paramount. However, at what expense is this to occur? As Architects, as members of the local construction industry, as citizens, we are concerned. The government has shown a desire to support our local construction industry, as they have spent millions in some cases to educate young professionals. They claim to want to support our local contractors, tradesmen, labourers and suppliers; yet their engagement with foreign contractors frequently translates into services, labour and materials being continually imported and our “scarce” foreign currency reserves exported. This is on top of the casual approach to enforcing building legislation, the seeming disinterest in addressing the proposed amendments to the outdated Acts that govern various consultants, both elements that are meant to protect the public.
If this approach continues what will become of our local construction industry?
Minister Dillon refers to the signing of the contract as a “Defining moment”; and the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects agrees. This indeed is a defining moment, where the government of Trinidad and Tobago continues to overlook the local industry particularly when this same industry could aid the diversification process and provide a significant boost to our fragile economy. As thinkers, we understand the complexity of the political process, governance and the impossible demands of society and the finances available. However, in order for the country to be on a path of sustained growth, the government has to seek the best interests of its people first. In recent years, the government has equated this with engaging with the lowest cost. However, as has been proven continuously, this approach does not provide VALUE. We have been left, therefore, with messes that either requires significant resources to attend to them (NAPA and the Couva Hospital for example), or citizens are left to contend with or wallow in them.
With the ambitious target to complete hundreds of housing units by fiscal 2020, methods to execute this should be carefully examined, as “quality” must be on par with the “speed of construction”.
The Global Construction Review quotes the HDC as saying “local materials and labour are expected to be used for this project”. On this, we are aware that the JCC has recently received information via the FOIA on the agreement between HDC and China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Co Ltd (CGGC) and this will be carefully scrutinized.
As we continue to contribute as tax-paying professionals and citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, we expect our government to seek the development and stabilization of our country. Scores of Local Contractors and industry professionals, architects, structural & civil engineers, MEP engineers, quantity surveyors, geotechnical engineers and suppliers, should have benefited from projects and contracts such as these.
Since 2008, our construction industry has been severely affected due to the heavy dependence on energy income and in response; the government has stated its intention to diversify our economy. Indeed, the IMF 2018 Article IV Consultation has also highlighted the need to ‘intensify diversification efforts’. Therefore, we urge the Minister of Housing, and those that advise on these important decisions, to embrace this opportunity to engage all of the local industry, for the sake of the economy and the future of all the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.