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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Oilfield Workers Union (OWTU) president Ancel Roget on Friday burned pictures of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Energy Minister Stuart Young as the union continued its fight against the government’s plan to allow Indian businessmen to take control of the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
The refinery was shut down by the government in November 2018, and despite efforts by OWTU through its unit Patriot Energy Technologies Ltd., which had been listed as the government’s preferred bidder, the Raleigh administration continues to search for a successful operator of the refinery, which loses billions of dollars a year.
Roger, dancing to his own song “The Truth” surrounded by several union members, said the government had spent 43 billion Trinidad and Tobago dollars importing fuel since the closure of the refinery, which deprived the country of a major foreign exchange earner.
Rogert told the crowd at the Pointe-a-Pierre roundabout that despite being the preferred bidder in the refinery acquisition process and beating out 72 other competitors, Chancellor Rowley repeatedly tried to defraud the union’s company.
Prime Minister Rowley recently confirmed at a meeting of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) party that he held talks with Indian businessman Naveen Jindal about Jindal Steel & Power Ltd’s potential interest in the now-shuttered refinery.
Jindal paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Rowley on June 17. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office at the time said Jindal’s visit followed Rowley’s visit to India in May, where he met with several business leaders and invited them to explore investment opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago.
The personnel minister said Jindal was interested in the potential of the Petrotrin refinery, which was also part of the discussion at the meeting.
Rowley told the Awami National Movement supporters that the opposition’s objections to his talks with Jindal were further proof that the opposition was against any kind of positive development. He recalled that the reason why the leader of the opposition, Kamla Persad Bissessar, did not allow him to talk with Jindal was because of the corruption allegations against him by India.
Rogert told reporters on Friday that despite reports that nine bidders were involved in the talks, he had information that the government planned to reject all bids soon and award the refinery to Jindal.
He then challenged Rowley and Young to a public debate over the refinery closures, insisting that the union-owned company could get several refineries back up and running within nine months.
He said former Petrotrin workers were familiar with the refinery and were the only ones qualified to run it.
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