Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie said yesterday that a meeting between Government ministers and businessmen, which was held at the Country Club, Maraval, last Friday, was not a fund-raiser but had been organised by a group of businessmen who wanted to hear Government’s vision for a second term
“They felt it was important to understand where the Government was heading in the second term and we simply agreed to make available the ministers they wanted to hear. The facilitation and refreshments were undertaken by the people who organised it,” he said yesterday.
Tewarie was responding to a report in the T&T Mirror which claimed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had held a secret meeting with the business community at the venue as the drive to raise funds for the 2015 general election campaign continues. The report added that the meeting was by invitation only and the media was not invited.
But yesterday Tewarie said Persad-Bissessar was not at that function.
Those present were Tewarie, Communication, Trade and Industry Minister Vasant Bharath and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine.
He said Finance Minister Larry Howai, who the business community also wanted to hear, was unfortunately absent as he was at last Friday’s Lower House session where he was the focus of a no-confidence motion by the Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM).
Tewarie said the ministers made ten-minute presentations followed by an hour of questions.
On the Mirror’s concerns about lack of media invitation to the event, Tewarie said media invitations and such issues were not in Government’s purview for the event.
Also contacted yesterday on the matter, People’s National Movement PRO Faris Al-Rawi said the party was also “busy on the ground.”
“We’re meeting everyone in T&T and have been doing that for the last five years. We’re completing candidate selection and are ready, willing and able to form the next government,” he said.