$2M on PM’s 8 trips

CLINT CHAN TACK

MINISTER in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young on Tuesday said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s discussions with major energy companies in Houston last year to secure gas contracts which the former People’s Partnership (PP) government failed to negotiate for five years, were “completely legal.”

Young made this point in the Senate, after he indicated the total cost of eight official overseas trips by Rowley and respective delegations from June 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017 was $2,025,323.32. He said the Houston trip last March was one of these trips and it cost a total of $269,059.62.

Saying seven people accompanied Rowley on that trip, Young reminded senators that when the People’s National Movement assumed office in September 2015, “there was no upstream contract and no supply of gas to NGC (National Gas Company) for the year 2019 going forward.”

Attributing this to neglect by the PP, Young rejected claims from Opposition Senator Wade Mark that a gas price of US$5.00 per mmbtu was negotiated with EOG Resources last year. Young said contrary to additional allegations by Mark, the discussions which happened in Houston were the, “culmination of protracted negs that had been taking place between NGC, BP and EOG for a long period of time.”

Young said throughout the meetings with BP and EOG, “we were in contact throughout with the technocrats at the Ministry of Energy and NGC.” He said had Rowley not acted to correct the PP’s neglect of the energy sector, there would be no upstream gas supply to NGC and the country’s entire downstream industry, “would have come to a complete crash.” Government senators thumped their desks as Young said Rowley’s actions demonstrated, “that kind of leadership had been lacking in TT for many, many years.”

He said a trip to Jamaica, which cost $249,447, ensured free trade continues between TT and Jamaica. Young reminded Opposition senators that St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar was the only Opposition parliamentarian in the 14 member delegation which accompanied Rowley on that trip. Young said Rowley’s trip to Caracas in December 2016 to conclude cross border gas agreements with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, cost $242,138.91. He said thanks to Rowley’s visit to Chile, which cost $599,178.03, a host of trade opportunities have opened up for TT.