Roget: Ministers can’t ask public to sacrifice – but buy luxury cars

OILFIELDS Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget says it is unfair for politicians to ask the public to “sacrifice” in the midst of a pandemic while they are buying luxury vehicles.

He made the statement at a press conference at Paramount Building headquarters in San Fernando.

Over the past week, there has been a lot of public discussion of tax exemptions for MPs.

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal called on the Prime Minister to impose a moratorium on ministers buying luxury cars.

He said recent exemptions on cars for Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and Energy Minister Stuart Young amounted to $1.25 million, and that the timing was not the best, given the number of people out of work owing to covid19 restrictions.

Dr Rowley responded, “I sought legal advice and the legal advice was, these are people’s terms of engagement and you have no authority to interfere with it.”

Young has said he put off buying his Mercedes Benz from last year to this year because he felt “things were looking up and sprightly. "He added that it was “a little unfortunate that the person who moved the motion, Dr Moonilal, I found it so ironic and hypocritical of him, because that is the identical vehicle to what he drives.

“I didn’t mean to offend anybody, and I make no apologies for it,” he said.

Roget said as a trade unionist, he is in no way “against benefits for people who work,” but this government was against benefits “for the people who make sure they get revenue.

“When a minister could stand up and say he’s not apologising in the face of a pandemic and in the face of people losing their jobs, reductions in salary, some people getting no income, no food for some families right now..,”

Rowley also recently said he goes to bed nightly between 2 and 3 am and wakes at daybreak “wondering what will happen to the country,” while some allegedly “plundered the public purse.”

Roget said, “While some people can talk about they go to sleep and wake up at dawn – they still getting to sleep. Their breakfast, lunch and dinner waiting on them.”

He said there are many people who don’t sleep at night or know where their next meal is coming from.

“If you calling on us to make sacrifices, you too must make sacrifices. I am calling on the government and opposition to remove immediately all of those tax exemptions and so on and identify with the people.”