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The following is a press release from Fixin’ T&T, which calls for the immediate removal of Housing Minister Marlene McDonald pending an investigation into her conduct:
(Copyright Andy Hypolite/Trinidad Guardian)
FIXIN’ T&T insists that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley immediately remove Ms Marlene McDonald as a Government Minister pending the outcome of investigations into the allegations levelled against her.
This, in light of the admission made yesterday (Monday 11, 2015) by the Housing Minister about enquiries she made in 2008 as to the status of an application made to the HDC by someone with whom she had a personal relationship.
It is the only appropriate action that can be taken if the PM is true to his campaign promises of restoring decency along with good, honest, transparent and accountable governance to Trinidad and Tobago.
For any Government Minister to suggest that direct enquiries into a matter such as this would not wield influence, is naive at best and perhaps dishonest at worst; even if it is not within his/her own ministry.
Ms McDonald’s statement yesterday begs more questions that need to be answered.
FIXIN’ T&T expects this probe to be fair, efficient and expeditious.
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“No, Dr [Keith] Rowley, the ‘Smith Report’ must be made public. Taxpayers’ money [is] involved.” The following press statement was Read more
The ‘Marlene Affair’ raises important issues about the fate of our women. Progress, as measured by the number of women Read more
Events that rock us into further consternation about the state of our country and whether ‘we gone through’ are occurring Read more
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has stripped Marlene McDonald of her position as Deputy Political Leader of the People’s National Read more
On 23 December 2013, the Integrity Commission, then chaired by Ken Gordon, cleared POS South MP Marlene McDonald of ‘any Read more
Fixin T&T’s mission is the realization of good governance to achieve healthy, holistic, and fulfilling lifestyles for all citizens through the study, promotion, and furtherance of strong democratic institutions; sound infrastructure; integrity in public and corporate affairs; and a culture of respect by all for the laws and regulations of the country to create a safe, secure, efficient and productive Trinidad & Tobago.
Who knows? It could be that Manning and all tell Dick-Forde give out houses to people who help PNM win the 2007 election. Marlene admit to asking the status of the application because she know it inside long time.
The letter may not be real because Moonilal still has some of his mischief makers at the HDC.
I didn’t say the letter wasn’t real – Sturge and others have been going on the premise that the letter was written by Marlene’s assistant to HDC management when it wasn’t so. The Minister of Housing at the time, through her assistant made the request.
Moonilal still has some of his people at HDC, he could get anyone to do it.
But the letter says to allocate a house to him!
This is pure mischief.
Yes, she made an enquiry. The Minister of Housing got the allocation to happen – was the Minister bound to do it?
Actually, it’s the Advisor to the Minister of Housing who wrote to the Allocations Manager at HDC. See my post below.
Anybody could have penned that letter recently to set up Marlene,especially someone who was sent on leave pending the audit.
According to the article I’m posting, Odetta Alexander was actually the advisor to the Minister of Planning, housing & The Environment at the time, Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde:
http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2008-03-22/business2.html
as the saying lets move on
Scenario: $6 million lotto draw. The winner is the NLCB chairman’s common-law wife.
His response: So my boo can’t buy a ticket too?
Any issues?
Bwahahha
Ok. I was just messing around eh. Don’t psycho-analyse that to death. The point is there is a reason why companies don’t allow relatives to take part in certain competitions and so on.
Ask around and get the answer to that and you might better understand why people are upset about this Marlene business.
I fully understand ppl
I’m just saying people shouldn’t be reactive
Lots of issues…hence me stating that we need to challenge/question the policy.
Policy need to be stringent Rhoda
But u see people don’t like stringent cause they hope to benefit
Imagine ppl complaining they can’t see their mp to get a house
I never knew MPs does build or give out houses
Kyon Esdelle clearly they do if the Minister distributes 20% of houses or have a say in distribution of 20% of houses. Nobody wants to take a chance with the apply and wait years system.
Lasana Liburd to sum it up, don’t crap where u eat-simple lol.
And the reason they have to wait is because the UNC don’t build houses as much as the PNM
And because the PNM housing model is wrong
Kyon when you say “single people”, you mean single parents or just singles?
Just singles
Wouldn’t that be discriminatory?
I mean there must be single people deserving of an affordable home.
Life is discriminatory
Ent minister spouse shouldn’t get approved lol
Actually it’s a policy abroad to encourage ppl to have kids
Plus u kill several birds with one stone
Multiple ppl Share the home instead of one person Ina two bedroom or three bedroom
So am can we stop the HDC from giving single people houses now?
In exchange for and/or as personal favors?
Yes!
Even without favors
I’m not in a position to say.
Well I saying that for years
I’m happy to prioritise families. But don’t leave single people out in the cold.
You have a very romantic view of single life. But you’re young. That will change! Hahaha
Logistics Lasana
I find single people as I’m one myself can be left to the private sector as they have lower cost of living
That’s also big people
Country policy
Families are prioritized as child bearing and rearing is priority
What wife?
Women came forward and reported that Bress-Man Glenn promised them HDC houses for suck prick.
Lasana ah could say “suck prick” right?
lol
Oh lard!!!
Lasana like he checking the rules.
This doh look good! LOL
Lol. I will have to let that slide until I hear from the Integrity Commission! Hahaha
fellatio for abode? lol
lol.Everybody bumpin dey gum,after Wayne Purge talk he tata.Lewwe wait nah.
Yuh could write kaiso Nokio!
wait – yuh didn’t see the one i write last year about kams and de dj? hahahahaa
Put that on the album cover ….. yuh going platinum!
Hahahaha
He might win a HDC house!
Better yet, somebody boo might rent him one!
Kamla used to say,she had to give long and hard consideration before dealin with she band of criminals,let’s afford the new Pm the same courtesy nah man.
and get into a pussonall relationship? lol
Lasana, they might want to rent him
I don’t want another Kamla Lance. Whatever Kamla used to do, it is safe to say that I want Keithos to do the opposite.
If Kamla used to brush her teeth before bed, I don’t want Keithos to brush his teeth till he wakes up.
Doubt I can be more clear than that. Lol.
lol
Orite bro,I with yuh on dat one.
Ogeezanages Vernal Damion Cadogan
So Kyon, if Glenn Ramadharsingh had gotten a house for his wife which she then promptly rented… No issue? Somehow I doubt that.
Huge diff Lasana
Want me to point it out?
Ok. His sugamomma. Or make it Chandresh Sharma and one of his outside women. Go on…
Plz Rem i didn’t say it wasn’t wrong
I’m merely saying our systems are to blame and that’s it’s unenforceable because she merely asked
If she was housing minister then it would be be an ethical issue
In her case there was no direct transfer of sex for favors
We need to change and strengthen the system
i am not disagreeing with you on that Kyon, but proper people… people with a strong sense of morals and ethics do not take advantage of a weak system.
I never said I knew she had or didn’t have a strong sense did I
I merely showing the holes in the situation
And I am saying she has holes in her character, cannot handle having power and authority and should resign.
Chabeth Haynes but can’t the same argument be made about Nicole?
Why Nicole?
Like we on first names basis now lol
There’s more than one? The issue with soliciting funding for your sister’s beauty pageant? Om MP letterhead? From clients who report to you? Ok then…
Wait it was her sister pageant
I missed that Nerisha. When did that happen? I was away for Christmas and not paying attention. What happened? Something else to irritate me? Hahaha!
I thought was a community pageant
No…her sister was the organiser
Lol lol
All yuh remember Bress-Man Glenn right?
I’ll say no more!
For Dr. Rowley and our newly elected government.
Well let her show us all the other letters she wrote in support of all the other people who came to her asking for houses. And let us hear all the reasons she put in her letters why said people should get houses.
And if Ministers and MPs running around getting houses for people, the HDC really should stop with their public key distribution charades as evidence that the process is transparent.
@chabeth I think they should stop it regardless. And this process is nonsense. Even if two ppl are married, and one person who does not have their name on property applies and gets through with an HDC house, it does not mean the other person does not own property, and that they not going to rent it out. Or that one of them may have inherited a house but their name not on it. And ppl would definitely use any connection to get a house whether they need it or not and rent it out if they not using it. The system is set up to exploit such loopholes. On top of that, they not going to declare rent as income so we lose out on tax $.
Lol I know about the first part re: donation, I just never thought of it possibly being used to pay for the house. A whole nother side to that story now if that could be true.
However I believe the man should not have been given a house if he had no dependents
Legally he was not the husband
Semantics? Then how do you feel about the woman who went to Glen?
The woman was exploited and glen should have been fired
I’m sure the man was sleeping with her before she ask for a house for him
Ihu..but if there was a relationship, married or not, there would have been a conflict of interest in her recommending him.
I’m merely saying ppl go to MPs and ask for help getting houses
What do u think the MP does to help the person?
Pray?
She was not the minister of housing at the time
This is all common knowledge Nerisha, even before the GE.
Savitri Maharaj…interesting.
Kyon Esdelle, you serious? You cannot blame somebody for abusing their power to call in a favour for real estate for the person they screwing? You serious? You think that should be the norm?? That that is blameless behavior?! You see nothing wrong with that?
How I see this is Mr Carew via Calabar Foundation received $500+K from the Min of Social Dev (or whatever it was called at the time) for the construction of Community Centres. Firstly, the NGO was registered after the chqs were cut. Could this $535K (I think it was) have gone to paying for the house in full? Adrian Clarke…help!
Don’t blame me for the governance model
I actually proposing changes but I ain’t from your generation nor do I have power
It just now dawned on me that like integrity, ethics isn’t a concept that Trinidadians are naturally familiar with.
Logic, Ethics, Integrity…
“Fact” too … believe it or not!
This is why our positions sway like a leaves in the breeze. When my tribe does it, I employ mental gymnastics to justify or defend it but when their tribe does it, it is as clear as day.
But the irony is we ask what is going on in society with murder rate, corrupt institutions etc. If such an issue, which can be a simple black and white one give the facts, but ppl looking to deflect and find the grey area, what eg does that leave for our children? What standard do we leave for our justice system. Is either it wrong or not. And by saying everyone does it, does that make it right. So everyone pays to get their driving permit (pass a bribe) does that make it ok. But down the road when there is an increase in road fatalities, we complain.
This is why I say – “we get the government we deserve” over and over again because they are simply a reflection of our true selves.
Yup
A government is ALWAYS a reflection of the governed!
Kyon Esdelle which is why I keep saying leave politics and politicians out of the distribution process. Why not have a committee which includes members of NGOs to sort through applications and distribute houses and do away with the obvious political conflict of intetest by allowing the minister to distribute up to 20% of houses built with our taxpayer dollars! And we need to consider that building and allocation can affect outcome of elections-which is the intent, clearly.
Ok thanks for the answers. Now let’s hear from the marlene defenders. lol
Influencing the outcome of a tender
Same thing ….. conflict of interest.
Fuad, like Marlene would have used his position in government to look after the interests of a loved one.
The problem is the hdc housing model and the governance model
I can’t blame a minister for asking
I will blame a minister for granting stuff in a ministry the minister controls unethically
I can’t get stopped on the PBR and tell the police to hold Dana’s killer before they give me a ticket.
Hang who you ketch! When there is enough info to press charges on Moonie, then he will go down too
Lasana Liburd, it nuh over until the fat lady sings….
Hahahahahahaa. Anyone else care to take a stab?
Huge diff
The state is the client in the contract bid and the son is making a profit
In this case the spouse is the client and the state isn’t losing money
So let us do an experiment. Let’s ‘imagine’ that Fuad as then minister of health made a call to glenn as them minister of the people to ‘inquire’ about an application his son’s company had for a tv ad bid. Let’s go on to imagine that we eventually found out that fuad’s son’s company got the contract. What would you say to that?
Moonilal run so much racket in HDC and all you all could talk about is Marlene’s equiry about a house.
If nothing about this situation is an anomaly for Marlene and asking for houses for her constituents is just what she does… Then she should produce all the other documents in support of all the other people she has helped.
This country will stay in the cesspit with people supporting this kind of nonsense.
And the PM might want to change his mind on keeping her… He done already use a state funded trip for party business. He quickly getting into shady ethics territory.
Hahaha
There was already guidelines
But lie it went out the door for political support
Ministers had said hdc shouldn’t be hooking up bachelors with pads to get dates
As I’ve been saying MPs shouldn’t be ministers because constituents ask mps for help and MPs have to hold ministers to account
Simple right?
It’s very simple but u see the same political minions love to see what ministry their mp getting
It’s seen as payback
I suspect the practice has been taking place for so long that Trinidadians are now incapable of recognizing that it’s just plain wrong.
Thanks Lasana.
Now allow me to demonstrate the difference between cultures where standards are vastly different. If you recall some years back a New York City politician was caught sexting women who weren’t his wife …. nothing illegal there, but he was obliged to step down from office because it was understood that his behavior was unethical.
Now in Trinidad on the other hand we have an MP who used her position to expedite the application and approval of an HDC home for someone with whom she is said to have shared a close personal relationship ….. clear conflict of interest yet we can’t come to a consensus that her behavior was unethical.
Ethics isn’t an opinion ….. ethics is a moral principle!
Lol. You have a point. In the UK, they prioritise families and definitely women with children. Maybe they can create a formula for the stuff.
I also think single applicants shouldn’t get houses
I get cuss for that the other night
If you asked me, the Housing Ministry should create a group of investigators to go through its allocated houses, identify violations and turn people out and/or take legal action where necessary!
I agree…and forfeit those that have been unfairly allocated – too many needy applicants waiting for years.
I said that in September
I see in one housing estate, someone apparently purchased two or three apartments, modified the walls and created a damn castle! Can you believe some of this stuff? Smh.
I see in one housing estate, someone apparently purchased two or three apartments, modified the walls and created a damn castle! Can you believe some of this stuff? Smh.
That happen in Fidelis too I think
It have unc govt ministers with houses there
Lasana Liburd ,at the same Fidelis heights compound,it is alleged that a former minister in the last govt has a member of your fraternity housed in two apartments that has been converted into one.In the scheme of things this Marlene issue is miniscule.Let the integrity commission investigate and let the chips fall where they may.There are bigger fish to fry.
Eh eh. You don’t get to chose between fish. Fry them all! Hang who yuh ketch.
Any proper law agency treats every crime appropriately. Otherwise we would all tell the police to go catch Dana’s killer when they held us on the PBR.
No ‘tag and release’ here…keep all that are caught and roast them thoroughly.
As I said ,let the integrity commission investigate and if Ms Mc Donald is found wanting,let her be feathered and tarred.Meanwhile,we have persons who have committed far worst acts against the state,walking around and laughing at us.Let us not be distracted.
Where aldophus daniel
Hope they get him too. And the Spalker. But don’t blame them if Marlene’s indiscretion is easier to prosecute.
We should be on this government’s case ,like white on rice to retrieve our stolen money and to bring the brazen bandits to book.19 ghost lawyers in the AG’s office ,receiving close to half a million dollars per month.over the last five years.
Yep. And show us you’re serious and hang those in your camp who get caught too!
Lasana,why are we not acknowledging that this matter is being investigated by the integrity commission?
If this matter was so straight forward as some of us are making it out to be,don’t you think the PP would have made a mas with this,while they were in government?
So Rowley needs the IC to tell him whether the apartment was rented or not?
Lasana Liburd ,was the apartment in Mc Donald’s name?If it was rented what does that have to do with Rowley?
Sigh. Lance, if the apartment was rented, then the person who rented it out was in violation of HDC rules. Now, if the current Housing Minister aided and abetted the tenant in such violation, she does not deserve her position.
If she knew about it and did nothing, she does not deserve her position.
Are we clear now? Do you understand now why whose name is on the apartment does not matter?
Do you understand now why it concerns Rowley too?
Lasana,has the HDC come out and said the apartment belonging to Mr Carew has been rented out and is in contravention of it’s rules?Are you aware of the conditionalities of Mr Carew’s deed?All this will come out in the IC’s investigation.All I’m saying is,let’s wait bro.
Okay Vernal, so I was informed that it is definitely against the rules to rent the property!
So Marlene might not have broken any rule by her request for her boo. Although there is an obvious conflict of interes.
But did she know what he did with that apartment? I doubt anyone in their right mind would accept that she didn’t.
Did she report it?
Even if Marlene escapes with her request for her sugarplum, she can’t get off with the man then using the place in a manner that violates HDC rules.
I think that is shocking behaviour for a Housing Minister. And, with an already corrupt system, I can have no confidence in such a person being in charge.
In my opinion, Marlene should go.
Good to confirm.
You know, had a similar case been uncovered in North American or European politics their media would have already found and presented all of the relevant facts and we would not be here debating over what is fact and what is rumor.