Ronald Toppin calls for transparency
OPPOSITION Shadow Minister of Tourism Ronald Toppin has lambasted Government yesterday, stating that the Berth 5 Project at the Bridgetown Port was awarded to a company, without soliciting bids and without a tendering process.
His comments came against the backdrop of a $50 million supplementary in the Lower Chamber on Tuesday. Calling for transparency, he also charged that while that project was being executed, another project, in the form of a yacht facility was also embarked upon using the same contractor, without invitation to tender for the sum of $14 million.
“What is wrong with everybody else? Where is the transparency,” he charged.
Saying he was informed that Sealy was scheduled to meet with the taxi operators yesterday, Toppin suggested that taxi drivers in the Bridgetown Port have to settle for “crumbs”, after the bigger tour operators take the visitors from the Port on pre-arranged visits, which he said are made possible through their attendance to large tourism conferences. In response, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said unlike what Toppin was purporting, he was not scheduled to meet with taxi drivers yesterday, he actually met with them on Monday. He noted that President of the Independent Seaport Taxi Operators, Anthony Eastmond, and head of the Bridgetown Port Taxi Co-op Society Ltd, Charles Layne, would be shortly attending the Seatrade Cruise Global networking event, for the first time. The Minister lamented that he would not be able to attend because of the Estimates.
Sealy explained that because of the structure of the cruise industry one has to be a part of the Shore Excursion Programme. “We have to work with the co-ops now to get them on that programme.”
He also expressed a commitment to make the necessary adjustments requested by the operators including two parking areas inside the Port.
The Tourism Minister said that with the increased cruise passenger, many taxi operators are getting work. “That is why we can’t ask them to ferry passengers from the ship to the gate. They don’t want to do that. They want to do island tours, Bridgetown tours.”
“Yes, on busy cruise days they are good, but we have to make sure through shore excursion activity that they will get more of the action. So we are working with them,” he assured. (JH)