March 13th, 2010.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday that the Prime Minister should disclose to the nation the contents of the private conversation he held with former UDeCOTT chairman, Calder Hart.

’This is not a friendship conversation.

This is not about private business that you could plead privacy.

This is about the people’s business and it is especially important that immediately after this conversation took place, the man jumps on a plane and flies out of the country,’ the Opposition Leader said.

’Because it would seem that whatever was (said) in that (conversation) caused Mr Hart to flee,’ she added, calling on the PM to disclose the details of the conversation.

Persad-Bissessar said UDeCOTT presides over 40 per cent of the GDP.

’And therefore nothing remains private,’ she said.

Persad-Bissessar said the Opposition agreed with the presumption of innocence.

However, she said the Prime Minister likened the Hart matter to a murder trial in which the person has to be presumed innocent.

’But he forgets that when there is a murder trial you lock up the accused man while the trial is continuing and so you allow the man, while serious allegations are made against a person, you don’t leave them there ... because you allow for the possibility and likelihood of evidence being destroyed, documents being lost,’ she said.

Furthermore, she said the public was the shareholder of UDeCOTT and ’the shareholders in this country are clearly calling for the heads of the persons involved in this sordid affair’.

’So on the political and the legal front, I do believe that Mr Manning has missed the boat.

He is out of touch with the reality of what is happening in Trinidad and Tobago,’ Persad-Bissessar said.

She said the question still remains why did the Prime Minister continue to fraternise with, defend and praise Hart, knowing that he was under criminal investigation.

’Today (at the press conference) he (Manning) said he was defending Hart’s work, his contribution.

Semantics! You did much more than that when you attacked someone who gave evidence before the Commission of Enquiry (Carl Khan), calling him a jilted lover! In other words, decrying and denouncing evidence that was being led,’ she declared.

Persad-Bissessar asked further why did the Government increase Hart’s salary after the Prime Minister knew about the probe that ’is alleged to have been launched’.

She said it was the documents provided by the COP which caused action to be taken against Hart, and not as the Prime Minister suggested, the information coming out of the ongoing probe.

Noting that the Prime Minister declined to reveal details of the investigation, she asked: ’How come you revealed it when they went after Rowley with the Cleaver Heights?

How come you revealed when Bob Lindquist was on a probe?

So the Prime Minister is selectively choosing what to reveal to cover up the reality of the situation.’

Noting that the PM spoke about his commitment to a new order in the construction sector, Persad-Bissessar said if the new order in the construction industry spearheaded by UDeCOTT reeked of ’cover up’ and squandermania, ’Heaven help us!’

She said the PM condemns those who accuse others of wrongdoing without evidence ’when he does exactly the same thing - because he accused the media of bribe-taking.

I find that really offensive’.