It's pure political hypocrisy to accuse the PNM of one thing and do the very same, counters Opposition MP Marvin Gonzales as he attempts to clarify allegations of favoritism in the award of a WASA contract.
00:00MP for Aruko Lopino Marvin Gonzalez says Public Utilities Minister Barry Padaroth never apologized for using parliamentary privilege to erroneously assert that under Gonzalez's tenure, a building was rented by him for $3 million.
00:17At last week's media briefing, the MP disclosed a 24-month lease document to show the property was instead rented for $14,000 per month.
00:27I investigated the matter and realized that the allegation made by the minister had absolutely no truth to it.
00:35And what I did in response to that is that I wrote and I invoked the appropriate standing orders of the parliament so that the minister could be held to account for the falsity that he would have stated on the floor of the parliament,
00:54and misleading the parliament and by extension the country.
00:57Instead, he says Padaroth deflected to the issue of contaminated water in Tishe village, Point 14.
01:06Bacteriological report.
01:07The water sample taken from the washout at Salazar Trace of South Central Road, Tishe Point 14, was bacteriologically unsafe.
01:16The water sample taken at the same location was bacteriologically unsafe.
01:24Because of the nature of the problem, it was advised via the March 25th report that immediate works take place to restore portable water to the community.
01:34The managers of WASA recommended that a company by the name of OBS and Construction Limited was selected based on their ability to mobilize going through their own tender process for emergency tender.
01:47That the contractor was selected based on their ability to mobilize within the shortest possible time as all major contractors are presently engaged in contracts for the authority
01:59and have stated that their inability to meet the required time frame and capabilities needed based on the emergency requirement of this job.
02:11Gonzalez says the minister gave the impression the work was connected to the election and the company connected to the PNM.
02:19If one of the directors of OBS and is associated in any way with the PNM, that is his constitutional right.
02:26Because you can't be accusing the PNM of one thing when at the same breath you're seeing directors of state agencies being the wives and spouses of government ministers.
02:36You can't be accusing the PNM of one thing when at the same time you're appointing campaign managers of the UNC to head NCC, to head the URP.
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