She said in his zeal to acquire "cheap political points" Imbert insinuated that the withdrawal of a UK frigate from patrols in the Caribbean was in retaliation to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago scrapping the deal to buy offshore patrol boats (OPV) from the British company, BAE.
Imbert made the remarks during his contribution to the debate on the Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives.
In reference to the British government's decision to withdraw its naval support from the Caribbean he suggested that the decision was likely made in retaliation for the cancellation of the OPV deal.
“I would not be surprised if the withdrawal of the Royal Navy from the Caribbean Sea is not a reaction to our reneging as a country on the contract we had with the British government for the acquisition of offshore patrol vessels. I would not be surprised," Imbert stated.
In reporting the story, JYOTI noted that while the former cabinet minister produced no evidence to support his suggestion, the British government was clear that its decision had to do with serious budgetary cuts.
Read the story: UK pulls naval fleet out of the Caribbean due to funding cuts
Persad-Bissessar confirmed that on Friday in a statement to the House, noting that Imbert's "irresponsible statement...has the potential to cause severe damage to bilateral relations between Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom."
The Prime Minister told legislators after Imbert made the allegations the government of Trinidad and Tobago contacted the relevant authorities in the UK Government to determine if there was any reason to believe what Imbert told the House.
"I have since been advised by them that the MP for Diego Martin North East’s statement or perception is totally incorrect and there was absolutely no link between the withdrawal of the Royal Navy frigate and the OPV contract," she said.
"His allegations are totally unfounded based on the fact," she added.
Persad-Bissessar said the British authorities advised her that the main threats to the security of the UK Overseas territories are natural disasters, especially hurricanes, regional corruption and the effects of drugs and drug related crimes, hence the need for the Royal Navy to have a presence in Caribbean waters.
"In fact, contrary to the irresponsible allegations and innuendos by the Member for Diego Martin North East, I am advised that the Royal Navy will continue to provide a permanent presence in the Caribbean and will be able to respond to the full range of foreseeable contingencies.
"I am further advised that the Atlantic Patrol for 2011 will not include a Royal Navy destroyer for the hurricane season as before, but instead there will in fact be a Royal Navy Team embarked on the remaining Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship.
"This means that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will provide broadly comparable disaster relief capability to what it provided before, as the capability will now come as a self contained package of manpower, relief supplies, helicopter and other support on one ship, hence cutting cost but keeping its operational effectiveness in the Caribbean.
"I am further advised that the decision to withdraw the frigate came as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review by the British Ministry of Defence which reduced the number of frigates from 23 to 19, so that not only the Caribbean has been so affected.
"The withdrawal was based on the challenging defence and financial background and nothing else, but by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship still being positioned in the Caribbean, it in fact demonstrates the commitment of the UK Government has to the defence and security of its Caribbean allies," she said.
She called Imbert's statement an example of "desperate attempts by certain members of the Opposition to reincarnate the correct cancellation of the OPVs" although the same company contracted by the Manning PNM administration "has recently been handed large fines for criminal acts, which includes allegations of bribery" to win contracts.
She also noted that BAE recently pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Government and was ordered to pay a US$400 million, one of the largest criminal fines levied in the USA against a company for business related violations.
Persad-Bissessar also pointed out BAE admitted to knowingly making false statements to U.S. investigators to hide its failure to ensure compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
"It is also interesting that BAEs tendering bid to Trinidad and Tobago was nearly $700 million more than the other two bidders, so that the Honourable Member for Diego Martin North East should explain how that happened, why that happened; instead of crying about cancellation," the PM stated.
"The MP for Diego Martin North East should be well advised not to tarnish the reputation of our allies with misleading statements that can do nothing other than show an act of desperation by the Opposition," she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment