The Uff Commission of Enquiry has all the hallmarks of a carefully-orchestrated political conspiracy. One caller to Dale and Tony’s popular morning radio talk show linked the fiasco to the premature resignation of former AG, Annisette George, who quietly resigned without any explanation. Could this be why she resigned? Could it be that the PM felt she didn’t have the political guts to manage this “project?” Or, maybe she indicated that she wasn’t cut out for this kind of fancy footwork? Jeremie certainly had the experience for the job after the Sat Sharma fiasco. This inquiry was doomed to fail, and set up to run itself into the ground. The signs were all there. PM Manning agreed to have this commission only because the allegations made by Ramesh in Parliament fell on fertile soil, in light of the evidence he provided to show the family links and connections between Mr and Mrs Hart and Sunway Construction from Malaysia. The company had just landed a $369-million contract to build the Legal Affairs Towers, and the evidence of nepotism and corruption was compelling, to say the least. In mid-July, 2008, less than two months after the commission was announced, PM Manning received Sunway’s representatives at his office for a private meeting, to discuss the possibility of further work and the status of current projects.
This meeting was an early signal from the PM to all concerned that this inquiry was not meant to be anything more than an expensive “pappyshow.” The selection of Israel Khan as a commissioner was another clue. Having made a public declaration of his admiration and allegiance to the PNM, his appointment was bound to be controversial and contentious. An excellent criminal lawyer, his abrasive attitude and temperament made him an unwise choice from the start. Then came the battery of mostly PNM lawyers, whose silent and not-so-silent support of the government facilitates an easy passage to lucrative legal work and creates a superficial veneer of pompous respectability to the proceedings. In the midst of the most damning evidence at the inquiry, a picture appeared on the front page of newspapers with the President, the PM and Mr Hart toasting with champagne and laughing, to commemorate the opening of the waterfront project.
This was a clear message to the commissioners that they should be careful what they write in their report. It is reminiscent of pictures of Panday clapping while the dancing Dhanraj Singh threw powder onto supporters when frustrated contractors were begging Panday to intervene and clip his wings by stopping the extortionary behaviour of the notorious ten per cent man.
Imagine our President, who appointed this commission, toasting with the main accused that is the subject of the inquiry. This is the same President who appointed Michael Annisette an independent senator, despite the fact that he was in the government’s back pocket (as evidenced by his appointments to numerous state boards, including Udecott), and hence incapable of being truly independent. The same President who cannot appoint a new Integrity Commission for over nine months now, so that complaints of corruption at Udecott can be investigated.
It’s difficult to avoid the perception that our President is “in” on this grand PNM project/conspiracy that is designed to make the government look transparent, while protecting and covering up the massive corruption that has occurred. The application for judicial review by Udecott is hilarious. This is a government-controlled, state enterprise. It puts the AG in a precarious position and embarrasses the Government. It is a classic case of right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. Or, is it? The idea must surely be to create a thick smokescreen that makes the AG look like a pious, serious corruption-buster while nevertheless facilitating the legal challenge on the ground of bias. It is a case of the Government being biased against itself, it seems. Nothing will come of the inquiry, because the Government cannot afford to let corruption be exposed. It is Manning’s main trump card with the electorate and against the beleaguered UNC. The case will either drag on in court; the report will not be made public; or criminal charges will be laid on the eve of the next general election, as a prelude to another endless marathon journey like the one in the airport corruption cases. Why don’t we just save ourselves a lot of money and give Calder Hart a nice Christmas bonus?
By Anand Ramlogan