Indarsingh lashes 'jobs for the boys' in new digital ministry

COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh claimed the creation of a new Ministry of Digital Transformation separate from the Ministry of Public Administration was done simply to create a "make-work" ministerial portfolio for new minister Hassel Bacchus.

The two ministries/portfolios were previously joined in a ministry headed by Allyson West until split by the Prime Minister on Monday, hiving off the digital portfolio to Bacchus.

Indarsingh said he was perplexed, in a statement on Tuesday.

"This high-level shift comes a year after the creation of the Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, and makes absolutely no sense at this time."

He said the nation was yet to understand the need for a Ministry of Digital Transformation, far less see any delivery from that portfolio since created a year ago.

"How did the Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation assist in the conduct of online classes during the covid19 crisis?

"How did the ministry assist in creating new avenues for the digital payment for state goods and services given the need for reduced physical movement during covid19?" the MP asked. "How did the Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation partner with small and medium businesses to boost their capacity to conduct business online given the challenges faced in the pandemic?"

Asking what was the justification and the mandate of the new ministry, Indarsingh said if West and Bacchus could not have run a composite ministry together, how could they now each separately run a whole ministry.

"True to his style of wastage and ‘job for the boys’, the Prime Minister is now increasing the size and wage bill of his Cabinet at a time when public expenditure ought to be prudent and guided by the prevailing hardships being faced by workers across the nation.

"The Prime Minister is making this Cabinet the latest ‘make-work ’programme, while the working-class citizens themselves are out of work."

With thousands on the breadline, Dr Rowley has appointed another minister who will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, Indarsingh complained.

He said the PM's reshuffle instead ought to have shuffled out Finance Minister Colm Imbert for his catastrophic mishandling of the economy; Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh for his "banana republic" handling of the covid19 crisis; Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi for leading the State in losing a landmark number of cases; Energy Minister Stuart Young for $2.1 billion in losses at the National Gas Company; and Labour Minister Stephen Mc Clashie for failing to protect displaced workers.

"The only digital transformation this country needs today is to instantly ‘block and delete’ this PNM administration, who continues to ‘LOL’ in the faces of displaced, tormented citizens of this country, who can say nothing more than ‘OMG.’

"For the unjustified, expensive creation of yet another ministry, and the unprecedented hiring of another unproven minister at this time, Prime Minister Keith Rowley and his entire Government have ‘GTG’ (got to go)."