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Hook wrote:^^^ politicians tend to do that...I more concerned with how HE get a bbm from the PM residence
Greypatch wrote:Some $4.6 million was spent for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and an official approved Cabinet delegation, which included her travel assistant—who is her sister, Vidwatie Newton, to travel to India in January.
Newton’s total expenditure was $233,600.
What exactly is a travel assistant ?
what does she do ?
How can the travel asssistant's cost be almost 3 times more than the senior government officials on the same trip ?
Greypatch wrote:Greypatch wrote:Some $4.6 million was spent for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and an official approved Cabinet delegation, which included her travel assistant—who is her sister, Vidwatie Newton, to travel to India in January.
Newton’s total expenditure was $233,600.
What exactly is a travel assistant ?
what does she do ?
How can the travel asssistant's cost be almost 3 times more than the senior government officials on the same trip ?
come on UNC/PP ppl defend this one...
Senior government officials (PS in ministries) incurred cost of 75k TTD for the India trip.
The TRAVEL assistant cost was 233k TD.
the only person whose cost was higher was the PM of T&T
EXPLAIN ?
nervewrecker wrote:I am a man, I have needs too, legalise prostitution now!
eliteauto wrote:^^ the answer to that is NO, abuse of office may not be a crime ( cough Patrick cough), however come elections the electorate will remember, I suspect that they know this hence the feeding frenzy
djaggs wrote:
If you have to choose between horseshit and BS, yuh might decide to choose the one that smelling less, but you eventually going to see that is the same sheit, just different look and smell.
pioneer wrote:I AM WOMAN
HEAR ME ROAR
Habit7 wrote:
ALTHOUGH Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was insisting up to last weekend that her sister Vidwatie Newton works for her free of charge, TnT Mirror investigations reveal that Newton is just one among a number of familial relations of the Prime Minister who have been living at considerable expense to the State and who are integral to her function as the country’s chief executive.
While Persad-Bissessar has one of the largest Cabinets (24) the country has ever seen, she still relies on the advice of two key persons who hold no Cabinet rank, her husband Dr. Gregory Bissessar and sister Vidwatie Newton. She is also said to be particularly close to niece Alicia Harry, who has also traveled with her on official engagements at Government expense.
The family cabal is a small but influential group, who, according to insiders, are maintained at considerable taxpayers’ expense although doing no work for the State. The PM said last weekend that she needs her sister to look after her personal issues including food, medication and clothing. Insiders describe Newton and the other family members as high maintenance, who also enjoy State security to their various destinations in the country.
Even as Persad-Bissessar and her immediate family, including husband Gregory, maintain their upgraded Philippine residence along with her son Kris, grandson Kristiano and granddaughter Sophie, unknown to the public the extended family led by sister Newton has moved into the official PM’s residence, where they now live at taxpayers’ expense, which, according to public service officials, has never been the case with any previous PM. The PM commutes from her Philippine home by National Security helicopter or official car as the need arises, an arrangement for which National Security Advisor Gary Griffith has often told Mirror he is responsible.
Newton, according to insiders, lived in England for 30 years but returned home and moved into the PM’s official residence on Persad-Bissessar’s assumption as Prime Minister in 2010. She is said to also travel by National Security helicopter and official car like the PM1.
Mirror has learnt that she has been accompanied on her return home by two of her three adult sons who live with her in the official residence. The sons, Quinton and “Stroppy” (a nickname), are said to be maintained at taxpayers’ expense with all the trappings afforded the PM’s family including use of official vehicles and other transportation.
“Stroppy” is said to be studying law and interning with attorney Devesh Maharaj, a known UNC party supporter, and senior partner of Devesh Maharaj and Associates, while Quinton is not known to be desperately seeking employment.
They are not the only ones enjoying the State’s hospitality. The PM has another sister, Sally, who lives in the US and whose son has also moved to Trinidad, where he is also maintained at State’s expense. None of the PM’s nephews were born here and they also carry British and American citizenship. Sally’s son is also interning at Devesh Maharaj’s chambers in Port of Spain.
HEAD of the Public Service and Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister Winston Cooper has come out in defence of the Prime Minister, in the raging controversy over the unofficial appointment of her sister, Vidwatie Newton, as her ‘travel assistant,’ at taxpayers’ expense.
“Not too many people know it but the Prime Minister’s sister is a trained nurse and as you know the PM has a medical condition,” he explained.
Cooper’s comment was in reference to an incident in October last year, when Persad-Bissessar had to be rushed to the St. Clair Medical Hospital for treatment after falling at her home.
On her release, two days later, she told the media that she is diabetic and suffers with high blood pressure. “I am hypertensive and diabetic,” she said, adding that “people my age should have an extensive medical check-up every year (but) I haven’t had one for quite a while.”
Cooper said that as far as he knew, the only person who travels officially with the PM, meaning the only person for whom the State pays, is Newton.
He said the hiring of the ‘travel assistant’ was not done by him, but by his predecessor, Sandra Marchak.
He admitted that some things had to be done differently for a female prime minister, adding that this is a first for this country, and things would be done differently as a result.
“Not everybody wants a stranger to handle personal things like medications and clothes etc,” he added.
“There is, however, another alternative, since ministers are allowed to have a personal assistant, for 365 days a year.
“But in the PM’s case her sister only helps when she is travelling, but I think the real fuss is over the problem of the first class ticket to India which was very costly. It costs $178,000 to India, first class and the rest was for her per diem.”
Cooper could not confirm whether Newton accompanied the PM to Panama, saying he could not remember what the Cabinet note said.
He, however, promised that on her return from her overseas trip, he would advise her as to the other alternative of hiring her sister as her “personal assistant,” which is a recognised position in the public service.
Cooper also explained that while there were public servants who get a uniform allowance, as it now stands, the PM does not get a clothes allowance, even though she may be expected to look differently every time she steps out.
As to the goings-on at the official residence, where Newton and her family are now said to reside, Cooper said he was not a frequent visitor there and could not remember ever visiting the residence.
“The residence is under the management of UDeCOTT.
“My only interface is with the Diplomatic Centre,” he said.
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