WASA MANAGEMENT CHANGE

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar on Thursday evening ripped up the WASA transformation report approved by the last administration.

Transcript

00:00Minister Kamala Pissar-Bissessa this evening ripped up the WASA transformation report approved by the last administration.

00:06She did so in condemnation of the top-heavy structure, which she said the PNM government put in place with 34 executive positions.

00:16Today the cabinet rescinded the previous cabinet decision of the PNM to brutalize, to demonize and attack WASA workers, WASA management.

00:27And the mandate of WASA, the WASA's core function is to increase water production and distribute throughout the country.

00:37Today we will announce and can announce and have approved that the changes to the management of WASA result in savings of about $30 million.

00:48The Prime Minister told us that $30 million would be saved by the state in terms of changing the management structure.

00:57And that will not be a permanent situation because we will look to see how we improve the situation of WASA,

01:04particularly with respect to the management, the day-to-day functions and activities with respect to the mandate of the board.

01:11Right now in WASA, there's a heavy management structure that we met, with 34 executive positions totaling over $70 million.

01:23There was a focus on big jobs for the boys and girls in the PNM inside of WASA, and we will speak more about that,

01:30ballooning a figure of over $70 million where people in this country continue to suffer, large swaths of the country,

01:37particularly South, Central, and East Trinidad in particular.

01:41It cannot be that there are parts of this country that receives a 24-7 supply of water day-on-day,

01:49and then there are parts of the country that receive none at all, sometimes amounting to months.

01:55And that has been the case for several areas throughout Trinidad and Tobago that have identified to you in South, Central, and East Trinidad.

02:02The former administration, they received an IDB loan of $200 million.

02:11This is cash in hand that they have had for the past four years.

02:16So it is not a matter of the resources to fix the infrastructure issues as it relates to production and distribution.

02:23It was a matter of political will.

02:25The minister of...