KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesman on Transport and Works, Mikael Phillips says that the “about turn by the Minister of Transport Mike Henry and the Managing Director of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Paul Abrahams yesterday, is a clear admission by the government that there is confusion about the state of affairs at the JUTC”.

In a statement from the PNP on Saturday Phillips argued that the numbers presented by the minister not only differed from those presented by the JUTC managing director to the PAAC meeting of the House of Representatives, but were not based on any detailed analysis of the company’s operation and service levels.

Phillips said that according to the minister, based on international benchmark, the company is overstaffed by 420 people, which contradicts the 500 announced by the managing director at the PAAC meeting.

The Opposition spokesman charged that Abrahams had misled Parliament and Henry had misled the nation, because the management audit to determine such issues has not even started, despite being promised a year ago.

Phillips insisted that the PNP administration had not employed more people than were necessary to carry out the company’s given mandate and never employed anyone without the knowledge and approval of the Ministry of Finance.

Phillips said overstaffing had to be determined by rigorous analysis of the company’s programmed activities and the human and financial resources requirement for successful completion of the tasks. He said neither the company nor the ministry was in possession of any such material to make statements which impugned the characters of the former board, management and staff.

The PNP spokesman charged that the entire issue was concocted to deflect from the disastrous state of the company, poor management and the political decision to rid the company of long-serving professionals and replace them with unqualified Jamaica Labour Party activists.