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  • 1 year ago
An abuse of Regional Corporations!
That's how Member of Parliament for St. Augustine Khadijah Ameen refers to what she says are plans by the government to take over 43 million dollars from these Corporations and transfer it to two other entities.
The MP further states that some of the allocated funds for Regional Corporations in last year's budget have not been released.
Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
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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