Panday demands answer about Air Jamaica deal

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday wants the Manning government to give full disclosure on a deal to bail out Air Jamaica.

“It is taxpayer’s dollars which the government is spending therefore, citizens have a right to know what the government is doing with their money.

"The rumors have been circulating for quite some time yet no one in government has said anything to alleviate the fears of the nation," he said.

Panday was referring to reports in the media about a deal to rescue the financially strapped Jamaican airline. Under the agreement under discussion, the Trinidad and Tobago carrier Caribbean Airlines would take over the operations of Air Jamaica, which is US$900 million in the red.

It is not clear if the government will inject money into the airline but reports suggest that there will be no cash infusion. The deal would mean that Air Jamaica will cut about 75 per cent of its staff of 1200, cut off routes and retire some aircraft. That would require about US$300 million.

Read the story: CAL taking over Air Jamaica

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has not made any formal statements. Prime Minister Patrick has said the deal has a confidentiality clause and any statement about it could put the discussions in jeopardy.

Panday wants to know what junior finance minister Mariano Browne means when he says described the talks as an “arrangement”.

Panday said, "Every bit of this issue has come from Jamaica and this government which is injecting money into the airline remains mum! What are they hiding?"

He added, “If reports are true, the Prime Minister should tell the nation where he will source the reported TT $6 billion required to bail out the struggling airline.

"Is this the reason home owners will now have to pay more for their properties, to off set the cost of a bankrupt airline?" he wondered. “Surely, in a recession, we should ensure that water is running in our taps, that the hospital has beds and medicine, and that our roads are repaired.

How will the so called bailout of Air Jamaica assist the hundreds of thousands in T&T who live in poverty?” he asked.

Panday noted that the government turned a deaf ear to the plight of tens of thousands of depositors and shareholder of the Hindu Credit Uunion (HCU), which is in liquidation, saying while the Manning regime refuses to protect HCU members it can find billions to invest in another country.

"This lack of transparency in spending taxpayer’s money has become a hallmark of the PNM. This must stop. Tell us the truth about the Air Jamaican deal!" he said.