trinidadexpress/news/Hadeed-ducks-media-262638811.html Hadeed ducks media By Ria Taitt Story Created: Jun 10, 2014 at 10:26 PM ECT Story Updated: Jun 10, 2014 at 10:26 PM ECT Tourism Minister Gerald Hadeed refused to even come in close proximity to reporters yesterday, when he was told that the media wanted a comment on a leaked audio tape. In the tape, which is a conversation between Hadeed and broadcaster Inshan Ishmael, the minister who was then-chairman of the Airports Authority, spoke in disparaging tones of some members of Government, whom he described as “(expletive) rats”. Yesterday Hadeed kept his distance from the media table, shouting, “Yuh see people taping? I not in dat!...I not taking calls...,” his voice trailed off as he began walking in the opposite direction. However later on in the sitting, as Government and Opposition Senators traded across-the-floor taunts, Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi was heard saying: “Ratman!” At another point, Al-Rawi said: “We have some rat poison, don’t worry.” Hadeed, however, replied to a question in the Senate filed by Opposition Senator Camille Robinson-Regis who asked the names and portfolios of the Trinidad and Tobago delegates who participated in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s CTO Media Awards luncheon in New York in the run-up to Caribbean Week in June 2013 and the costs. Hadeed said a delegation of eight people attended the event which cost Government US$8,000 (TT$51,520). The delegation included then-minister of tourism Stephen Cadiz; permanent secretary Juliana Johan-Boodram; Satie Jamraj-Marimuthu, senior research officer, Ministry of Tourism; Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Secretary, Division of Tourism, THA; Aisha Sylvester, communications specialist; Brian Frontin, chairman, Tourism Development Company; Shelly Ann De Gazon, marketing specialist, Tourism Development Company and Consul General Rudrawatee Nan Ramgoolam. He said the cost of the ministry’s participation at Caribbean Week was $81,528. Minister of Water Resources Ganga Singh, in reply to another question, revealed that voluntary separation packages (VSEP) at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) cost $275 million. Minister of Trade Vasant Bharath also disclosed, in reply to another question, that Government spent approximately $200,000 on advertisements in Indian publications during and in advance of the official visit of the Prime Minister to India in 2012.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:49:18 +0000
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