00:00A memorandum dated September 2, 2024, allegedly from the Budget Division of the Ministry of
00:05Finance, has been circulated to the media by the UNC, purporting to show authorization
00:11for the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government to conduct a transfer of
00:16funds.
00:17This is what UNC MP Khadija Amin is expressing concern about.
00:21I have the memo here.
00:24$43.6 million is being taken away from the regional corporations, and it is being given
00:33to CPEP and to the RDC, National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Program.
00:41These two bodies fall under local government.
00:45Based on the memo of the funds taken from several line items under the various corporations,
00:50$36.6 million will go to CPEP and $7 million to the RDC.
00:56In terms of CPEP, Amin says the monies are to be spent at the end of September.
01:01According to her, it is the regional corporations that will suffer when monies are removed from
01:06their development programs, which allow them to undertake works such as drainage, road
01:11paving, cemeteries, recreation grounds, et cetera.
01:14They are also removing, as you can see lower down.
01:18The monies for municipal police equipment and implementation of the municipal police
01:25fleet and manpower management system, this in a time when we are faced with so many national
01:32security issues and issues of crime in the community that our municipal police need strengthening
01:38for.
01:40She's calling on the government to account for how the funds will be spent.
01:44CPEP has allegations of serious fraud.
01:48You have political appointments, PNM appointing political persons in there.
01:54We have allegations that the reafforestation program is being used to pay election machinery
02:00from the PNM.
02:02Amin states that schools are also now relying on the corporations in the area for assistance
02:07with things like grass cutting.
02:10The MP sees the transfer of funds as a slap in the face for the corporations, which she
02:14states were expecting an increase in funding based on the 2023-2024 budget and the promise
02:21of the collection of property tax.
02:24According to Amin, many corporations have not received the amounts they were allocated,
02:29and she questions how many requests for funds in that regard are still pending.
02:34In addition, the MP claims that the implementation of the procurement legislation caused issues,
02:40including a slowdown in the administrative processes.
02:44Now they are being told that it is only contracts that are completed before the end of the financial
02:50year that they will be paid.
02:52And I am calling on Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, Fares Alwari, and the
02:57Minister of Finance to release the monies to the regional corporations now.
03:03As it pertains to the collection of property tax, Amin states that the government had a
03:07lot of time to put adequate measures in place.
03:10But ultimately, the UNC maintains that it is against the property tax implementation
03:16and will repeal this law if it is to take office.
03:19Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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