(Jamaica Gleaner) – Local officials appeared stunned by news out of Port-of-Spain on Thursday that the new Trinidad government, led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar, could be having second thoughts about the takeover of Air Jamaica by the state-owned Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL).
Efforts to get a comment from Finance Minister Audley Shaw were unsuccessful while other government officials remained mum.
Instead, they pointed The Gleaner to Dennis Lalor, who led the Air Jamaica divestment committee and was the point man in the negotiations.
But an obviously surprised Lalor told The Gleaner that he had not heard the news, which came on Thursday afternoon out of one of the first post-Cabinet media briefings hosted by the Persad-Bissessar administration which was elected less than three weeks ago.
Lalor said he would not expect any change in the position of the Trinidad government because its objectives have been largely met since CAL acquired Air Jamaica.
Under the agreement finalised on April 28, the government of Trinidad and Tobago was slated to contribute working capital to facilitate the merger while the Jamaican government assumed the debt and covered the multibillion-dollar winding-up costs.
But the Jamaican government has received grants of US$820,000 (J$70 million) in 2008 to help with the early stages of the divestment and US$221,000 (J$19.12 million) yesterday from the United States Trade and Development Agency to assist with finalising the deal.
