No Gov’t money being used for meetings at party headquarters – Minister Trotman

Georgetown, GINA, Thursday, Thursday, November 17, 2016

No money from any Government Ministry has been used for meetings at Congress Place, according to Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.

This response was given by the Minister at a post-Cabinet media briefing today, at the Ministry of the Presidency to a question about a series of meeting held at the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) party headquarters.

These meetings hosted by various Ministers were not unlike those conducted by the previous Administration, the Minister noted. “It is common knowledge that prior to coming out of office, coming down Robb Street you could meet the Head of State with his or her security and all of the Ministers would be arranged, and people would go and meet with them. I don’t think this is some aberration that is offensive. If it is something that is foisted on the Ministry of Finance then that is a different matter.”

Minister Trotman pointed out that he could not understand how a Ministry would pay for the presence of a Minister at a political party’s headquarters.

The fact that much of the criticism did not come from the Political Opposition, was noted by the Minister who said, it is common practice around the world. “I’m surprised that it has taken on this degree of skepticism, because as I said, any citizen could have gone down Robb Street (Freedom House) on a Saturday morning and spend hours there meeting with Ministers and raising their problems with them.”

Questions were raised, by some sections of the media, after advertisements were published, inviting persons to meet with the Ministers at the headquarters of the PNCR, to discuss issues or problems in their communities.

CATEGORIES