Tancoo on West's query on missing property tax info: Government clueless

OROPOUCHE West MP Davendranath Tancoo on Wednesday called Minister of Public Administration Allyson West "clueless," in response to her claim that people's property tax details disappeared in 2009 and 2010.

On Tuesday in the Senate, during debate on an opposition private motion on the Data Protection Act 2011 and personal privacy protection, West alleged that details of householders previously collected in 2009 and 2010 to do a property valuation towards implementing the property tax had been destroyed. She wondered aloud who had been responsible.

Newsday sought an opposition reaction.

Tancoo, in a text message, replied, "Information is missing and the minister in charge is publicly clueless?

"I am not surprised. Every minister in this government from the Minister of National Security, the Attorney General, Minister of Works, Ministry of Finance and now Public Administration has been spectacular failures. If the minister in charge does not have a clue, who does she expect to know?"

Tancoo referred to Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, blaming an allegedly missing file for the State's failure to defend a $20 million claim by men detained for Vindra Naipaul-Coolman's horrific murder. The file subsequently reappeared very soon after its purported disappearance.

Comparing West's to Armour's words, Tancoo said, "This, like the AG's missing file that cost taxpayers millions, is yet another example of ministerial incompetence and intellectual laziness. Taxpayers are paying millions to ministers who seem to be absent from their jobs."

Tancoo said as the PNM engages in electoral campaigning, he expects all kinds of silly unsubstantiated allegations and distractions to cover up ministerial ineptitude and failure. "Having been called out by the US government for its complete failure to do anything to address the scourge of human trafficking, and having been shamed by the Jones report that showed this Government's deliberate failure to take action to protect children although they are aware that women and children were being raped, abused and even murdered, these kinds of spurious comments should be taken for what they are – cheap theatrics and PR gimmicks.

"For PNM ministers clearly ignorance is bliss. Taxpayers deserve better."