Fixin’ T&T: Rowley must remove Marlene McDonald immediately


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:

Photo: Minister of Housing Marlene McDonald. (Copyright Andy Hypolite/Trinidad Guardian)
Photo: Minister of Housing Marlene McDonald.
(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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About Fixin TT

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.

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505 comments

  1. In TNT Corruption is only a problem if you (your friends, your family or your tribe) are not benefiting from it.

  2. I am sorry for Trinis who are supporting Marlene. They are demonstrating how corrupt minded the population has become.

  3. Descend into what Vernal Damion Cadogan??
    He said I was defending Marlene and I said he was supporting the UNC?
    Why are you so upset about that?

  4. Someone suggested that the Fidelis Heights houses were not subsidised by the Government and there might not be any rules that forbid them being rented out.
    If that is the case–no taxpayers’ money and no rule against renting the property for profit–then I think it would change the complexion of this somewhat.
    She would have still used a favour to get her “boo” at the front of the line. But there would have been nothing illegal about what they did with the property. And it wouldn’t have been tax dollars wasted.
    But I wait to see if this can be confirmed. Because I’m not sure that even Marlene mounted this same defence for herself.

  5. I don’t know why these discussions must descend into this. Just because someone disagrees with something a PNM MP does does not make that someone a UNC Melina Hutchinson.
    Elsewhere it is common for Shaun Lynch to be called a PNM.

  6. And I suspect that you are commenting for the sake of supporting Kamla and her gang of thieves.

  7. Fixing T&T needs to shut the hell up.
    Like they getting dunce like Kamla and her thieves
    Since when is somebody fired for enquiring about the status of a matter, especially the Housing Minister who has the authority to do so?
    Like they looking to unfix what Dr. Rowley is trying to fix.

  8. What kind of “personal relationship” was this? Was he her ‘boyfriend?
    IC declarations asks about husbands & wives ..

  9. If my recollection and understanding are correct then we have precedent that should inform the happenings of this case.

  10. And I think his defence at the time was ‘that was meh wife own’

  11. This point of ic declarations is very important I suspect because if memory and my understanding of the situation serves me right panday was jailed for not declaring his ‘wife’s’ london home.

  12. Did not read all the comments but Maybe another issue arises and that is the filing of IC declarations. My understanding is that one declares for themselves and their spouses. If by Marlene’s admission via a press conference to ‘clear the air’ where she said she and the retired teacher HAD a personal relationship – then it must be asked if this relationship defined as a common law one and if so did she make ic declarations for him during the tenure of their relationship.

  13. Let he has not sinned cast the first stone

  14. DO NOT FIRE MARLENE MACDONALD , SHE DID NOTHING WRONG

  15. It’s already too late . The Calabar evidence is even more damning but has not hit the public since it was not ventilated by a Senator. This is live and still before the IC. This house issue has just given it new life

  16. Fair play to Rowley in moving so quickly to say he would keep Marlene though. Which was a good PR move in that he tried to nip the story before it got legs.
    It throws the ball back into the UNC’s court to come up with something new or defeat his reasoning.
    I think it was the wrong decision. But it was smart from a PR standpoint I think.

  17. How is life in the land of Ostrich? Head in the sand – butt in the air.

    Marlene ; Secret scholarships – “it wasn’t me.”
    Invisible 43 million dollar Community centre? “It wasn’t me.”
    HDC House? “Not me”
    Oh well….

  18. The big ministries are Works, Housing, Finance, Security and Energy. Rowley must have thought long and hard before putting her there, so I understand his reluctance to make a change.
    But I suspect this won’t go away. He should be the one thing that Kamla was not: proactive!
    Don’t wait to be embarrassed before acting. Hold a meeting and decide how to salvage that situation.
    If the UNC does find more damning evidence, you will have to get a Plan B anyway. So locate that Plan B one time.
    The country cannot handle bad ministers but worst of all in those aforementioned ministries.

    • @lasana-proactive? This has been over her head since GE. As for the Minister of Energy, hmm. The solution to the problem seems to be to shield them from the public; I recall the Minister of Energy did not know what type of business a player in rge field was in, and the obvious conflict of intetest in soliciting funds for beauty pageant resulted in a slap on the wrist. These things do not instill confidence in a Minister in such a key ministry at this critical time.

    • Well, I’m talking about when it was brought into the public domain at least. I’m no expert on this matter.

  19. I think there are too many issues here to be brushed aside so easily.
    Do ministers really personally ask other ministers for favours for constituents? Or only really special ones?
    Because I want to believe that Marlene wouldn’t personally contact the Housing Minister for every resident who said they wanted a house.
    Is it okay for special favours to be granted to spouses and relatives of minister when we are talking about access to public goods?
    If it was her husband, did she not automatically have a stake?
    Did their combined salaries make them eligible for that house?
    And, of course, was she party to the illegal use of the house? Did she know of its misuse and not alert anyone?

    • Did someone not say she was an MP? (so many confusing “statements of fact” …apologies if I am getting it wrong. Probably correct she would not have asked the Housing minister on behalf of most members of the public….she was obviously treading a fine line to do it for her spouse, but i note you said “if” he was her spouse …so…perhaps we need to be clear on what are the facts of this matter….

  20. Someone said as much to me regarding assistance from an MP…apparently it is possible…but again…perhaps not likely to actually work out for most people…because the same person who said it…is also still waiting…i do not see how enquiring on a person’s behalf…(which is what I read)…can be perceived as some sort of action requiring investigation….but perhaps i need to read the story again…forgive me if it is not at the top of my list…there are too many other issues … unless they can show me there is some kind of evidence Ms. McDonald was distributing houses to all and sundry of her relatives…

  21. And constant questions arising, questioning the leadership. Why did she not address these allegations in the public domain? Where is the pre-action protocol letter? One would expect her to deal with it, or the PM to do so.

  22. I hope she goes because she can’t be trusted with ministerial powers.

  23. I hope she stays because she’ll be peeing her pants anytime somebody suggest racket to her

  24. Truth is Marlene ain’t going no where because all the MP’s have done the same thing she has call Minister of Housing for a Bligh

  25. yea rassclat Mortgage Finance have interest in my property too…just because they lend me money to buy it…fakkery

  26. Minister McDonald’s role in this matter needs to be thoroughly and urgently investigated. This does not look good!

  27. At best Marlene’s role in the acquisition of this home for someone with whom she shared a close personal relationship as well as assist in payment for the home presents a case of conflict of interest.
    Though it might not be illegal it is in fact highly unethical and if we are insisting on an elevated standard of governance we must reject outright both illegal as well as unethical practices therein.

    Marlene hadda go!

    • Else you opening pandora’s box as to what is acceptable or not, and these grey areas should never be allowed to be our ethical standard. But since we seem to need outside help to determine right from wrong, I wonder what bodies like the local chapter of Transparency International have to say about the situation. Curious the gov’t issues a statement they would not be acting on ‘allegations’, but accusations are ‘allegations’ until they are investigated and these allegations prove to be true or not. Moreover, if ppl were following, there have been investigative stories in the media providing some proof; that can be a good start to investigating these allegations. And if they were false, the Minister is free to sue for libel and clear her name.

  28. Brian you are correct . Any subsidized unit cannot be sold or rented for 10 years after purchase . This is a possible case of money laundering .

  29. For her husband come on I too went to my mp and you know what the allocation officer told me no mp cannot tell them who to give house to wait my turn that was 2005 it’s now 2016 and I still living in my mother house in a one room . Guess that rule applied to some

  30. Nothing will come of this.. #prettycertain

  31. I thought that HDC housing was for ppl who cannot afford to buy a house with cash and need help to get long term payments in order to cover their needs.

  32. These are not the times as the set up with Eric Williams and Franklin Khan, that turned out to discredit innocent men, not this time, wheel!

  33. The influence over the house distribution is indeed a non issue. The bigger issue is the co mingling of her personal funds in the transaction and the house being used as an investment property to produce rental income .

  34. Then I guess the investigations will address this. But the current issue of McDonald interfering in the distribution process is weak imho.

  35. This is not the only HDC property that launderers have done this with .

  36. Money launderers do not put their name on properties directly . They lend proxy owners the money to buy the house and hold a lien on the property in exchange for monthly payments .

  37. The renting of the house is the problem. In that respect it should be taken away from Carew.
    Is providing the downpayment for a home illegal? Is her name.on the deed? Unless her name is on the deed she isn’t a co owner.

  38. Mc Donald also part paid for the house by depositing over 400k into Carew’s account so can be deemed having a financial interest in the property . The property is also being rented which is against the law. Trinidadians are too inherently corrupt to understand the difference between right and wrong . The lady has even more serious allegations still before the IC after one year. The Calabar issue is still live.

  39. Don’t move her ,she’s the iron lady , keep her !!!

  40. What is UNC worry ,you was in charge but greed have you all on the other ,sit and enjoy,PNM in charge, no body listens to anybody.SYFM.

  41. Many MPs go to ministers to highlight the plight of individual citizens in and out of their constituencies. She simply made a query on the status of a document that should have been process already. Stuff like this happens all the time. Wayne Sturge is grasping at straws for political mileage.

  42. Back in 2004/5 thereabouts when I applied for a HDC home I was told that one way to improve my application was to reach out to a MP and have them write a letter of endorsement for and on my behalf. About 25% of HDC homes can be distributed at the discretion of Ministers or MPs. Afra Raymond can correct any inaccuracies here. So, I am unsure that Marlene McDonald has done anything the laws of the country doesn’t allow her to do. I never accessed that route…but it is an avenue available to all citizens applying for a home. Is it abuse? It seems so. But has she done something wrong? No.
    Again, I am subject to correction.

  43. This woman has and will always be a liability to the “new” PNM politics and policies that Rowley is trying to promote!

  44. I have to support this call; if the shoe were on the other foot, the PNM would have been calling for the removal of the Minister. There is a document circulating showing her requesting his application to be favourably considered. Of course, party supporters say nothing wrong, everybody does it. That does not make it right. And there are other allegations which, in fact, are more serious and can be deemed fraud. These issues should have been addressed and cleared before putting her back up
    And the PM’s response that he not firing her-well, that’s a good sign. Same was said about Jwala. It is about time this process of assigning housing be reviewed, as it is a real concern that it can impact on the outcome of an election.

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