Come clean on WASA, Ameen tells PM

ST AUGUSTINE MP Khadija Ameen is calling on the Prime Minister to "come clean" on the restructuring of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

She said Dr Rowley must tell the nation whether he intends to “fire all workers and mash up WASA” as the government did with the former state-owned Petrotrin.

At the same time, she warned Government to tread carefully because any increases in utility rates and further unemployment would put the country and economy in further jeopardy.

The restructuring is among the recommendations of a Cabinet sub-committee report on the operations of WASA.

In the United National Congress's (UNC) Pavement Report on Thursday night, Ameen said they would not stand for this and called on the nation to stand up and speak out

She questioned whether there were plans to put the entity in private hands, and asked about the establishment of a waste-management Caribbean company for managing water and waste in the country.

Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales, who announced the restructuring of WASA and a shake-up in management earlier this week, said the privatisation of WASA was not a feasible option at this time.

However, Ameen said, “Rowley lied to this nation before,” referring to his 2018 statement that Petrotrin would not be shut down.

“There is already something in the pipeline the PNM is not telling the country.”

Agreeing that while there is a need to increase efficiency at both WASA and T&TEC, she said Government has to be clear as to its next move with respect to employees and utility rates.

She pointed out that electricity and water are two of the most essential commodities that contribute to the quality of life for citizens.

In this pandemic period, with so many people already on the breadline, she said,any increases would make these essential commodities unaffordable or difficult to afford for the poor.

“You know if electricity and water rates go up, everything else will go up. Rent will go up, because landlords will charge more when the utility bill is taken into consideration.

“The cost of living will go up, food prices will go up, because manufacturers will transfer that increased cost into the price of their final products.

“Fresh produce will also increase because farmers depend on water to irrigation.

“We must not allow thousands of workers from those utility companies to be fired. We must not allow our patrimony to be dismembered, destroyed and sold out.”

Gonzales said the report of the Cabinet sub-committee will be laid in Parliament on March 5 and subsequently made public.

Ameen said she is waiting patiently to hear the content of the report.