UNC calls for answers on NGC, Gambling Bill

Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee.
Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee.

The UNC is calling on government to explain the $2.1 billion loss posted by the National Gas Company (NGC).

At a media conference on Thursday, Opposition MP David Lee said the loss was a result of the mismanagement by the government as this was the first time the company had recorded such a massive loss.

“NGC should never be making a loss, as it is essentially a middleman. It buys gas from the up-streamers and sells it to the down-streamers, and somewhere in the middle there is your profit.

“Was this loss the result of bad negotiations, bad policymaking, or bad management? It had to have been the result of the 2017 negotiations in Houston and we are now reaping the disaster.

“It will be interesting to see what the upcoming half-yearly report by NGC will have to say.”

Lee also questioned the government’s intentions towards Petrotrin and Patriotic. He said the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) had yet to get a response from government to a bid it had sent in March 2021. But when the UNC asked in Parliament recently, it was told that a request for proposals would be put out in the coming days.

“Everyone will be able to put in a proposal and Patriotic will be left out in the cold. Coming out of Monday’s virtual report, the Opposition Leader raised the issue of the refinery and asked for information on Project Calypso. There’s no clarity in the shutdown of Petrotrin. We must have transparency on the request for proposals.”

Lee said the downstream companies at Point Lisas were suffering.

He also speculated as to whether the Finance Minister had pushed through the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Bill 2021 in order to make up some of the tax revenue which had been lost.

Lee asked whether the objections raised by the AG on the bill when it was debated in 2016 had been resolved, as he said there had been no substantial changes to the bill since then.

“It will be challenged by institutions who feel their rights are being challenged. It won’t be operationalised for at least six months. What was the rush in passing the bill? I’m sure the Finance Minister will come back to Parliament to fix the bill.

“Were the issues the AG had with certain clauses of the bill fixed? One of the major ones was issues with the banking sector. Will employees now be able to go to the banks and open mortgage accounts, get credit cards, etc.?”

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"UNC calls for answers on NGC, Gambling Bill"

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