(Trinidad Guardian) Disappointed by the opposition’s reaction to his visit to T&T, Indian industrialist and investor Naveen Jindal will not bid for the Petrotrin Refinery. He revealed this in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley Rowley on July 26. Rowley read excerpts of the letter Jindal sent him when he swore in the new executive of the PNM’s Diego Martin West constituency yesterday.
Part of the letter from Jindal to Rowley read: “It is with great disappointment, therefore, that I must address the reaction led by the official opposition party following on our visit. The character assassination I experienced merely for considering the investment opportunity in the Guaracara Refinery was deeply disheartening and discouraging. Moreover, the unjust attacks directed at our groups, companies, entities that operate independently, and are unconnected to legal matters mischaracterised in the local press and Parliament set a troubling precedent for potential investors planning to invest in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Jindal also raised concerns about the Opposition, stating: “From our organisation’s point of view, these actions by the purported government in waiting raise serious concerns as they represent an element of risk and potential instability that is incompatible with providing a predictable and secure investment climate.”
He said the developments had “shaken confidence” and his companies had felt compelled to “reassess the viability of proceeding with a formal bid for the refinery at this time.”
Rowley would later label as “Sandals all over again.”
Since Jindal’s visit on June 17, the UNC and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) have taken aim at him. The UNC called for Jindal to be disqualified from the bidding process for the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
In June, Opposition Senator Anil Roberts said it was unethical and unfair for one of the bidders to meet with the Prime Minister while a tender was out. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked if it was “the Venezuelans” who put the Government on to Jindal to get the refinery.
In his Labour Day address, the president general of the OWTU, Ancel Roget, said: “I want to say this afternoon that the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union will not stand idly by and allow anybody to walk in here and take over the refinery. So Indian businessman or not, whoever you be, we must be a part of going forward in the operation of that refinery.”
In the letter to Rowley, Jindal who served as a Member of Parliament in his native India on three occasions said: “I understand the vital role constructive opposition plays in a healthy democracy, however, in my respectful view the behaviour exhibited by the Opposition in this instance risks causing significant economic and reputational damage to Trinidad and Tobago.
“Such actions will likely deter potential investors leading to missed opportunities for economic growth and and job creation and ultimately disadvantaging the people who will benefit from these investments.”
Rowley also responded to economist Marla Dukharan who said over the past 12 years more than $US25 billion has gone missing from this country, making this nation the “world’s largest loser of foreign exchange.” Dukharan was using the International Monetary Fund’s global database for 2011-2022.
The PM admitted that he only had time to read the headline and the first paragraph of the story in a daily newspaper yesterday but asked: “What kind of jackassness is that?”
He said he was concerned about the go-to people who provide the narrative in this country.
“Where in God’s name is that money coming from to be lost?” Rowley asked.
