Contractors call on TT gov't to pay outstanding $450M

The founder of the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry (JCC), Emile Elias, has replied to Prime Minister Patrick Manning's declaration of war against some contractors.

Emile Elias told reporters Tuesday it is sad that Manning has ended the love affair that blossomed when Manning was opposition leader in 2000.

Elias was responding to statements made Monday by Manning about "a war" between Government and some elements of the construction sector, and predicted that some "soldiers" may fall.

Read the story: Manning declares construction sector war

Elias said it is "perhaps one of the saddest days of my life" because the Prime Minister is at war with an entire sector of the national economy.

He suggested that Manning has double standards, noting that as opposition leader Manning was happy when the JCC provided him with information on suspected corruption in the procurement practices during the construction of the Piarco Airport Development Project and the Desalination Plant, in Pt Lisas.

He also went after ex-UDeCOTT executive chairman Calder Hart and Hart's with the late Hafeez Karamath whose company has been building the Tarouba Stadium, which is years behind scheduled and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.

Reporters also heard from Mikey Joseph, head of the Contractors’ Association, who called on the government to pay off more than $450 million owing to local contractors.

Joseph pointed out that the local industry and local contractors built most of the country's infrastructure and are quite capable of the doing the work that the Manning administration gives to foreigners.

He said the records show a better track record for local contractors that for those who are from abroad, noting that it is a fact that cost overruns for the locals averages five per cent while it is around 20 per cent for the foreigners.

Joseph said it is time for the government to stop maligning contractors.