Keith Rowley said in Parliament in 2011 that he had complained to then Prime Minister Patrick Manning that there was bid rigging taking place in UDeCOTT - the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad & Tobago.
On February 4, Public Utilities Mustapha Abdul-Hamid took on Rowley, first stating that "somewhere between 2003 and 2004" Rowley had tried to sell land to UDeCOTT executive chairman Calder Hart. And then he proceeded to question Rowley about his silence while sitting as a cabinet minister during the time when he alleged that there was bid rigging.
Abdul-Hamid's comments, shown below, were quoted in an Express story on Feb. 5, 2011 by Ria Taitt Political Editor:
"There were five months in 2003, 2004 came and pass, 2005 came and pass, 2006 came and pass, 2007 came and pass. That is 52 months... Not a word to the public about bid-rigging... If you were so upset...so offended as you proclaim to be, how come for five years you cannot find an opportunity to make even the smallest comment to the media... about bid-rigging at UDeCOTT?
"For those five years, wasn't the bid-rigging smelling to high heavens? Were the wrong-doers not prospering? How many times worse than Piarco was UDeCOTT (during that period)? Five times, four times? Where was the voice of the member for Diego Martin West between 2003 and 2007?...
"Why did you come to fight an election under the leadership of somebody who is supporting bad behaviour? More than that, he fought for that right to contest, alleging that somebody was conspiring to keep him out. Was it (the Manning administration) not smelling then? (Again) more than that, he accepted a ministerial position (becoming Minister of Trade in the new administration)...
"All that time, not a word of bid-rigging...
"Not one (PNM MP) shares the view that the Prime Minister is out of order. And none shares the view that the country is going to hell in a hand basket..."Sometimes you have a situation where there is a house and there is a throne and they cannot get to sit on the throne. And they would burn down the house."
Abdul-Hamid's comments, shown below, were quoted in an Express story on Feb. 5, 2011 by Ria Taitt Political Editor:
"There were five months in 2003, 2004 came and pass, 2005 came and pass, 2006 came and pass, 2007 came and pass. That is 52 months... Not a word to the public about bid-rigging... If you were so upset...so offended as you proclaim to be, how come for five years you cannot find an opportunity to make even the smallest comment to the media... about bid-rigging at UDeCOTT?
"For those five years, wasn't the bid-rigging smelling to high heavens? Were the wrong-doers not prospering? How many times worse than Piarco was UDeCOTT (during that period)? Five times, four times? Where was the voice of the member for Diego Martin West between 2003 and 2007?...
"Why did you come to fight an election under the leadership of somebody who is supporting bad behaviour? More than that, he fought for that right to contest, alleging that somebody was conspiring to keep him out. Was it (the Manning administration) not smelling then? (Again) more than that, he accepted a ministerial position (becoming Minister of Trade in the new administration)...
"All that time, not a word of bid-rigging...
"Not one (PNM MP) shares the view that the Prime Minister is out of order. And none shares the view that the country is going to hell in a hand basket..."Sometimes you have a situation where there is a house and there is a throne and they cannot get to sit on the throne. And they would burn down the house."
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