Rent: $228M a year

GOVERNMENT PAYS a whopping $19M per month for the rental of office space, which works out to $228M per year.

It was this hefty price tag which convinced the Manning-led administration to move on building its own offices at locations around the country. Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis made this disclosure yesterday during the topping-up ceremony of the Ministry of Legal Affairs Tower at the Government Campus Plaza, Port-of-Spain.

While Port-of-Spain has been the site of the intense construction of government offices, other offices are planned for and in train at San Fernando, Arima, Chaguanas and Scarborough.

Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley months ago warned that the Government will not continue to be a “renter of properties” in Port-of-Spain.

Speaking at the ceremony yesterday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said that about two years ago, when work was initiated on the government complex, “what to many appeared to be a pipe dream and the figment of the very fertile imagination, as they put it, of the Prime Minister, is today the reality in Port-of-Spain and the reality in Trinidad and Tobago.

“We are here to do the topping-up ceremony of the second 22-storey building on this complex. The other two are ten-storey buildings already under construction — one has reached its height and the other is under construction at this time. The other 22-storey building has already reached the level that it was designed to go.

“When you look across the street, you can see of the two 26-storey buildings, one is already at height, that is the office complex and next to it the Hyatt Regency Hotel… has reached its height and the convention centre and car park are already in place.

And across the street the 1,800 car park is already in place.” Manning and his entire Cabinet toured the tower which is being built by Sunway Construction Caribbean Ltd, whose parent company is headquartered in Malaysia.

Over the last 5 years all the fockin PNM Ministers, friends, families and supporters were able through corrupt means to purchase properties and then rent them in turn to the Government.

So when these fockers tell you dey paying too much rent. They done pay back for all the buildings that they buy wid tax payers money.

Ask Hazel wa she fockin buy in South.