President Irfaan Ali yesterday tore into government ministers, permanent secretaries, engineers and consultants over delays in projects and related problems.
The shellacking handed out to the dozens of persons who were summoned to State House for a 5.30 am meeting went viral on social media.
The tense meeting began with each minister, permanent secretary, chief engineer and contractors being asked to stand. The President began with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. He eventually moved on to the Ministry of Education. It was here that the President became riled up. Neither the Minister, Priya Manickchand nor the Permanent Secretary Shanielle Hoosein-Outar could provide satisfactory answers as to why contractors in their sector were not present at the meeting.
When told that one contractor was in the region, he asked where they usually uplifted payment from and was told it was the ministry. He remarked that they could go to the ministry to collect payment but not attend his meeting. At one point in his discontentment, he said that “…all of them getting fire…not only the contractors”.
He accused the ministry of a laissez faire approach to work and said that there was a “blame game” and a “total lack of commitment”. He said that the days of contractors bidding low just to get the contract will come to an end and for those contractors their performance bond should be forfeited.
The contretemps continued when he called upon the Minister of Local Government, Sonia Parag and the Minister in the Ministry, Anand Persaud. Their Permanent Secretary, Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang was stuck at the gate as he arrived late and so, too, was the engineer Satrohan Nauth. The two ministers professed that the only contract delayed for over four months was the construction of City Hall. The President seemed to doubt that and ordered that calls be made to the Regional Executive Officers of Region Six and 10. He then declared that the Port Mourant School was behind schedule and questioned who had misled the ministers.
The fireworks continue when he moved on to the Ministry of Housing and Water. The Head of GWI, Shaik Baksh was not present and Permanent Secretary Bishram Kuppen and Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal were grilled on the absence of contractors and engineers.
He then asked Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh if this was the same performance he experienced at his monthly meetings and when the minister answered the President told him that he was not interested in semantics.
Squarely
Adverting to ongoing delays in a range of government infrastructure projects, he laid the blame squarely at the feet of contractors, engineers, and government officials alike. The President chastised ministers and public servants for their failure to meet deadlines, pointing that several projects were now more than four months behind schedule, to the detriment of national development.
President Ali repeatedly expressed his frustration over the lack of coordination and accountability within the ministries. Contractors who were expected to attend the meeting to explain their delays were conspicuously absent, further exacerbating the President’s anger.
“You are all responsible for this. This is a reflection of your performance,” President Ali said, directing his ire toward the various officials. “If the engineers don’t turn up, the contractors don’t turn up. If the consultants don’t turn up, neither will the contractors. This is a systemic cultural problem that must change.”
He pointed out the lack of proper communication and oversight, particularly in ministries such as Education, Public Works, and Housing. At one point, the President questioned the absence of key staff members, such as the head of the Engineering Department, in a sharp exchange with the Ministry of Public Works. He also questioned why project engineers and consultants were not properly coordinating with contractors or showing up to meetings on time.
Phone
“You’re the consultant, you’re being paid by the state to represent our interests,” the President remarked. “Why didn’t you pick up the phone to call your contractors when they were missing? Why didn’t you ensure they were here?”
Throughout the meeting, several contractors were called out for failing to meet their deadlines, and many gave excuses for their tardiness, such as not receiving formal commencement letters or delays in receiving required documentation. However, the President was quick to dismiss these excuses, demanding that they be held accountable for their failure to deliver.
In particular, he pointed to the case of BDU Recycling, a contractor for a Number 1 Canal road project, who claimed they had not received a commencement letter. After some back-and-forth, it was revealed that the letter had been issued late, and the President emphatically stated that this contractor should not have been included in the list of projects “four months behind schedule.”
“We cannot continue to make excuses for people not doing their jobs,” he stated. “It’s a lack of commitment, and if we allow this to continue, we will never see these projects completed.”
He specifically called for an overhaul of the way contracts are awarded and monitored, insisting that failing contractors should face consequences, including the forfeiting of bonds.
“There is absolutely no excuse for these delays,” he stated. “Contracting is serious business. If you cannot complete the work, you cannot hold up an entire nation. We will take appropriate action.”
President Ali also highlighted the broader implications of these delays on the country’s development. “These delays affect communities, they affect schools, they affect hospitals. This is not just about one contractor or one project — it’s about the progress of the nation.”
In a pointed remark, he made it clear that these delays were not just inconveniences; they were hindering critical infrastructure development that was vital for the country’s growth.
Accountable
“Imagine what the communities are going through. Every sector has a problem, and every ministry is suffering from these delays,” Ali said. “You are all accountable for this. And if you don’t take responsibility, I will hold you accountable.”
Ali also made it clear that there would be consequences for those who failed to meet their obligations, and that the government would be taking a much harder stance in ensuring that projects are completed on time. He also stated that those who failed to show up to the meeting or did not take responsibility for their work would face disciplinary action.
He called for some of them to be written to before 6.30 am.
“There will be no more excuses,” President Ali said “We must do better, and we will do better. This is a critical moment, and we cannot afford to let these delays continue.”
During the meeting, President Ali ordered letters to be sent immediately to contractors and staff who were absent or late, highlighting those who were on the list of delayed projects. Among the names mentioned were MD Investment, MK Contracting, GenCore, Hosein Logistics, Reliance Inc., SRT Contracting and General Supplies, Ideal Engineering, Khan’s Enterprise, ANG Construction, Builders Hardware, and several others.
“Now let me be very clear with you, there is absolutely no excuse for these delays,” the President said. “Is there anyone here who is objecting to their name on the list?”
One of the contractors, S. Singh, objected, stating he had not received the go-ahead from the engineer to begin work. The President immediately turned to the engineer to verify this, asking why Singh’s name was on the list of delayed projects if he had not received authorization. The engineer confirmed that no commencement letter had been issued, leading President Ali to exclaim, “So why is his name on the list? I told y’all you will be embarrassed. If the contractor did not get the letter to commence work, how is he being classified as delayed? This doesn’t require any engineering science.” He expressed disbelief at how the system was failing contractors like Singh and causing unnecessary embarrassment.
The next objection came from BDU Recycling, which was responsible for the Number 1 Canal project. The company representative argued that they had only signed the contract a month and a half ago and had yet to receive a commencement letter. The President turned to the Permanent Secretary and demanded to know whether the letter had been issued, his frustration growing with each passing second. “PS, you understand what is going on in your Ministry? Did you give them a Commencement Letter? This is why I can’t sleep at night. PS, you better help this man. What date was the Commencement letter issued?” After some back and forth, it was revealed that the letter had indeed been issued—on September 30. The President made it clear that BDU Recycling should not have been listed as four months behind schedule, stating, “This man is not four months behind.”
Another contractor, A and E Constructing Services, questioned why they had been summoned, as their project was scheduled for completion in December. The President pressed the engineer overseeing the project, asking why the company had been included on the list of delayed contractors. The engineer explained that all projects delayed by two months or more had been flagged, but the President quickly shut down this line of reasoning. “This is not an excuse forum,” he said firmly.
Further frustration was directed toward S and S Construction, which said it had not received a commencement letter for their work on Canal Number 1. The President turned to the project engineer and demanded answers. “Are you sure you didn’t issue the commencement letter?” he asked. When the engineer tried to speak, the President dismissed him sharply. “Can you sit down? Who asked you to stand? Where do you believe you are in here? No, no, I am talking. What you telling me, boy? We are dealing with a separate contractor,” the President said, visibly irate.
He then lashed out at the public servants in the room, particularly the Permanent Secretaries, for not ensuring that contractors received the necessary documentation to start work. “At minimum, you don’t know that they are supposed to sign as receiving the letter? PS’s, y’all don’t know this? Why aren’t your staff implementing it? Sit down!” he ordered.
Addressing the gathering, President Ali said “If you have projects to be completed, finish them before you bid again because you’ll find yourself not being able to bid because you’ll be blacklisted, because all of the projects here that were supposed to be completed before the end of the year and have not will be terminated and their records will be sent to the Tender Board.”
