Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath has accepted a challenge from former minister Marvin Gonzales to publicly drink tap water, turning a dispute over discoloured water into a direct political showdown.
In a social media post, Padarath said he would meet Gonzales anywhere, anytime, to drink pipe-borne water supplied by WASA. He invited Gonzales to name the date, time, and place, and to join him for a glass.
The challenge followed accusations by Gonzales about discoloured water flowing into households across Trinidad. Padarath responded that while he continues to work with WASA to mitigate the impact on affected areas, such occurrences are not unusual and have happened before, especially under a PNM administration.
To back his point, Padarath displayed historical newspaper reports from 2009 and from 2022 to 2023, which he said contained advisories about discoloured supply. He noted that the former minister never disputed those reports and stood by the data placed in the public domain when he had responsibility for WASA.
Padarath also fired a sharp retort, telling Gonzales to “try not to play smart with foolishness” and reminding him that discoloured water occurred during his own tenure without comment at the time. He ended by repeating his invitation for Gonzales to join him for a glass of the water once a date, time, and place are set.
Article and image source: facebook.com