James: Government withholding CAF, IDB funds from THA

Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Trevor James has accused central government of withholding funds from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) because the PNM lost the December 2021 THA elections.

In an interview with Tobago Updates on Wednesday, James said central government has “refused” to release $41 million from an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan for infrastructural projects, as well as US$15 million from CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and Caribbean) for coastal protection works.

James said the funds were approved before the THA elections but were now being held back to stymie the Farley Augustine-led administration.

James’s allegations came less than two weeks after Finance Minister Colm Imbert, at a Conversations with the Prime Minister meeting in Scarborough, said he was flabbergasted that people were saying the central government was ill-treating the THA.

Quoting from documents, Imbert said the Farley Augustine-led THA was getting more money and in faster tranches than the previous PNM administration.

However, James insisted central government was trying to spite the current THA.

“Before we came into office, the IDB had approved a loan for the government of TT, with a Tobago component for $41 million. That was agreed upon between the government of the day then and the (PNM) government in Tobago then.

“We have been trying our best to negotiate with the government in Trinidad how we can access this $41 million. Projects were identified before us; we negotiated to have some of them changed. We thought we had settled on some road infrastructure issues in Scarborough, including the underground utility corridor, a matrix of roundabouts around Comfort Inn. The housing project at Riseland – that was also pre-approved before we came into office.

“Two and a half years on, the government has refused to go forward with the projects we have identified and agreed on.

“Again, we have this issue where because there is a regime change in Tobago, the government continues to withhold funds from us, to the chagrin of the people of Tobago.”

James said coastal erosion is seriously affecting several communities.

“If you drive by Grange Bay now, there is a little beach just below where Mt Irvine entrance is: that erosion there has almost reached the main road. We have sat with Ministry of Finance in meetings spanning six-eight months trying to get them to approve, again for a CAF loan that was approved before we came into office.

“Two and a half years in, they still unwilling to give us the US$15 million to effect coastal protection works (at) Grange, Back Bay, Plymouth, where that entire road has broken away, and Pigeon Point.”

He called on Tobagonians to “stand up to this kind of behaviour” and “demand more of central government.”

He said, in the interim the THA will continue to use the private sector to finance projects and “stagger the payments over a period of time.”

Imbert and Brian Manning, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, could not be contacted for a response on June 5 as calls to their cellphones went unanswered.