Moonilal tells Stuart Young: 'Stop macooing me'

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is calling on Energy Minister Stuart Young to stop "maccoing" how he sources money to buy vehicles and instead focus on the $2 billion loss posted by the National Gas Company (NGC).

“This is yet another creepy obsession by a government member. Mr Young should concentrate on the collapse of NGC under his watch and stop maccoing me,” Moonilal said.

Last Monday, Moonilal challenged the Prime Minister to make good on his promise to impose a moratorium on tax write-offs granted to government officials to buy luxury vehicles.

Last year, Dr Rowley said the Cabinet would consider a cap of $350,000 on tax exemptions on vehicles for MPs, but last week the PM said he was told he could not interfere with anyone's terms and conditions of employment, including MPs'.

Moonilal said the timing of the purchase of luxury vehicles by Young and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh was also significant because licensing offices were closed to ordinary people, preventing the transfer of vehicles, renewal of driving permits and all other services.

In response, Young at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference, dismissed Moonilal’s “revelations.”

He accused Moonilal of being hypocritical since Moonilal drives a vehicle identical to the one Young bought. He also asked: "Where does he get the money to afford these things? Because as far as I know...I don't know what work he does, what he does professionally, since he left office as a minister in 2015," Young said.

The Energy Minister also justified his purchase, saying while he did not want to offend anyone, he worked hard for this and had not used the tax exemption before.

Contacted for comment on the weekend, Moonilal laughingly said. “I had a small investment associated with Global Finance and, remarkably, it grew during the past six years. So that helped to purchase my car," he said.

NCB Global Finance is a local company whose chief executive is Angus Young – Stuart Young's brother.

“I passed Common Entrance the first time. Ask him (Young) whether he wrote the Common Entrance twice," Moonilal added. “I have certificates of compliance from the Integrity Commission and I have four university degrees and a certificate, (all) from reputable institutions, and lastly, I have written more books than he has read.”