Politicians to blame for WASA
The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) 10Billion debt nightmare is one of many drains on our economy. Every state enterprise suffers from inflated procurement costs, kickbacks, nepotism, low productivity, overstaffing, and the sale of its assets at a fraction of its market value. Without procurement oversight every Government transaction is plagued by evil.
To understand WASA’s 10Billion debt one must study the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) report which clearly shows that WASA employs 4 times as many persons as the global average, has not upgraded or repaired its dilapidated infrastructure has not instituted a comprehensive metering system, has not updated water conservation mechanisms or proposed such legislation, is spending up to 25% of its operating expenses to purchase privatized water whilst wages account for more than 50% of WASA’s expenditure and loses 40 to 45% of water through leakages.
On October 13th 2015, the Hansard shows that then Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine stated that WASA had a deficit of 1.6B; in 2017 in a Public Accounts Committee meeting which examined WASA’s audited financial statements, it was revealed that this debt increased to 5.3B and yet a mere 4 years later we are told that WASA’s debt has doubled to 10B!
In 2015 Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee made 26 concrete proposals for WASA’s restructuring. The public have a right to know what happened to these recommendations. Were they ever implemented? If not, why not?
Dr. Rowley is called upon to be honest. He must come clean and explain how this debt increased from 1.6B to 10B in his six years of leadership. What happened in the past 6 years, PM Rowley?
Corruption is eating away not only our national resources but is undermining the moral fibre of our entire country. PM Rowley, our citizens have been locked out and it is we who must pay the price when you fail. Successive Governments have ignored the warnings of WASA’s operational deficit and its potential collapse. Why do you still ignore this noose around our necks?
Without public participation some of our best minds are silenced and locked out from the decision-making process. The RIC like the Auditor General Reports are credible yet are largely ignored by the Government themselves. Public consultations empower an inclusive journey towards sustainability and yet politicians continue with exclusive secret squander-mania and mismanagement which are destroying our future and creating an incentive for all criminal minds.
This is not a time for partisan segregation and paranoia. Our nation is at war with corruption which breeds criminality. Unless our leaders act with due diligence, with public participation and consultation, we stand to lose our most basic natural resource and a fundamental human right.
Sincerely,
Gary Aboud
Corporate Secretary
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea