Rambachan: Don’t sell sea ports

FORMER Tabaquite MP Dr Surujrattan Rambachan is strongly urging the Government to reverse its plans to sell the Port of Port of Spain to foreign/private interests, and said it should instead be whipped into shape as a key state asset.

In the budget presentation in October, Finance Minister Colm Imbert had proposed that a private partner run the Port of Port of Spain.

However, in a statement on Sunday, Rambachan urged caution in any decision to sell or lease that port or the port at Point Lisas.

“In fact, I am against the sale or lease of our ports including our airport.

“A country can lose control over its international connections with the outside world and even affect its freedom of movement and its independence by relinquishing control over its ports to foreign entities.”

Rambachan alleged China has a strategy of financing sea ports and airports and other transportation modes, and was not afraid to call in its loans if indebted countries could not repay these.

“Kenya and Sri Lanka are cases to be noted in terms of control over or potential loss of strategic assets.”

Rambachan instead urged the Government to remedy the inefficiency of TT’s ports.

“The Port of Port of Spain was once dubbed a PNM party group. It has had to be supported with state funding at a heavy cost to development in other areas. The losses cannot be sustained.

“The Government appears not to want to have to go through the exacting exercise of redundancies and voluntary separation, maybe for political reasons. Let’s admit, however, that they dealt decisively with Petrotrin in, as we say, one fell swoop.”

Rambachan said the country cannot sustain its annual subsidies to state enterprises.

“The fault lies to a great extent with the Government and the boards which have been appointed.” He surmised that management often ducks its duty to manage, possibly seeking self-preservation while afraid of the trade unions, yet trying to carry out the orders of line ministers.

“The reason I believe that the Government will hastily sell the port has to do with what they now consider an unmanageable organisation.

“This confusion and lack of managerial effectiveness cannot be a good enough reason, though, for wanting to sell an asset that is so important to this country. There is no shortage of examples of ports that are efficiently and profitably managed.”

He said if the port is retained, it cannot be business as usual.

“A cultural revolution in how business should and must be done is required.”

Rambachan said port workers may be part of the problem or part of the solution.

“With all the millions we spend at the University how come we have not created the quality of change managers that this country requires for its failing state companies?”