We pay rent, so we have money for HDC houses

THE EDITOR: Open letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

I took umbrage at your comments regarding would-be homeowners who have been waiting a long time for HDC houses. I refer to the statement, “Those who complain the most, when you call them in they don’t have money to pay for the houses.”

Be informed that there are thousands of us single women who have applied unsuccessfully over 15 years to become homeowners. We continue to pay huge rents to unscrupulous landlords, because we have no choice.

The only difference between the NHA and HDC was the name change. Corruption continued in the allocation of houses, a process that was flawed from the onset. The “ostrich syndrome” in this country where we like to bury our heads in the sand to wrongdoing is very much evident.

Nepotism, party card, sexual favours and corruption are the pathways to the acquisition of houses. For those women who chose none of the above, the lottery system does not know your name.

During 2010-2015, HDC applicants’ files were removed from online and it was unable to check or update its information. Enquiries resulted in various explanations. One of my friends visited the HDC recently and was told, “Your files were removed, so you had no chance of ever getting a home.”

So no-one siting in their air-conditioned office can tell citizens everything is above board at the HDC.

Successive governments are responsible for the corruption in the HDC, because in TT everything is about politics and satisfying one’s base. The claim of no corruption at the HDC was exposed last year during the Greenvale floods, when it was announced that people were illegally occupying homes and not paying mortgages.

Citizens know what is taking place on the ground, so that was “old news.” How did that happen? To date no-one has been held accountable. Like everything else in this country, it was swept under the carpet.

Truth be told, many of us citizens renting would have paid off HDC mortgages by now, but corruption, which is endemic in this country, is the norm. Congrats to all homeowners and those in waiting.

PM Rowley, your generalised statement regarding applicants for homes rubbed me the wrong way since thousands of single people on the long waiting list are yet to be approached. And yes, we have the money to pay. If we are paying landlords, why can’t we pay the HDC?

ROSSANA GLASGOW via e-mail