A brewing political storm in Trinidad and Tobago has intensified after the main opposition party, the People’s National Movement (PNM), publicly called for Housing Minister David Lee to step down, citing mounting allegations of mismanagement, lack of accountability and a disturbing attempted bribery scandal tied to the state-run Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
The controversy ignited following an investigative report published by the *Sunday Express*, penned by journalist Mark Bassant. Bassant revealed that last Thursday, during a meeting on Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook, an unnamed man claiming to act on behalf of a senior HDC official offered him undisclosed financial compensation to drop the planned investigative story. The man reportedly told Bassant that senior HDC leadership wanted to avoid negative public attention for the agency at this time, and that in exchange for killing the story, he would also provide the reporter with internal documents alleging mismanagement that occurred during the previous PNM administration.
When contacted by the *Sunday Express* for comment on the allegations over the weekend, Minister Lee distanced himself entirely from the situation, claiming total ignorance of the incident. “I have no idea or information about what is reported in the articles,” Lee said. “I, as minister, don’t get involved in the running of HDC or any State agency under my purview. Also, I don’t get involved in any procurement process!”
That response has drawn sharp condemnation from former Housing Minister and current PNM spokesperson Camille Robinson-Regis, who launched a scathing attack on Lee in an official statement released Monday. Robinson-Regis argued that Lee’s repeated “I don’t know” responses to growing crises in the housing sector prove he is unfit to hold office, and that he must either take responsibility for the chaos on his watch or resign honorably.
Robinson-Regis emphasized that the attempted bribery incident is far from an isolated problem. Over the course of the last several months, she said, the Trinidad and Tobago public has watched a steady stream of controversies, confusion and ethically questionable decisions emerge from the housing sector, with Lee consistently appearing unaware, uninformed or completely detached from the operations of his own ministry. She listed a litany of outstanding concerns, including controversial handling of public housing allocations, widespread delays and incomplete construction projects, and persistent confusion over the actual number of finished housing units versus projects that have only broken ground.
She also highlighted two particularly high-stakes issues currently under scrutiny: the government’s decision to regularize squatters who illegally occupied HDC-owned housing units, and a $3.4 billion Design-Build-Finance public procurement program that is now being formally investigated by the Office of Procurement Regulation. Multiple complaints have been filed about the program, including claims of selective tendering that excludes long-established local contractors, and unreasonably compressed bid deadlines for projects requiring more than $100 million in financing.
These ongoing issues have fueled growing public concern over transparency, accountability and regulatory oversight across the entire housing sector, Robinson-Regis noted, yet Lee has once again fallen back on a claim of total ignorance. “It raises a serious and troubling question for the people of Trinidad and Tobago—when will the minister ever know what is happening in his ministry?” she said. “If the minister cannot do the job, then he needs to do the honourable thing and just resign.” On behalf of Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens, Robinson-Regis demanded answers: what does Lee actually know about the operations of his ministry, who is actually making key decisions for the housing sector, who is exercising required oversight, and why does the minister consistently only learn about critical controversies after they become public knowledge?
Robinson-Regis rejected Lee’s attempt to distance himself from responsibility, reminding him that a cabinet minister is not a spectator or a sideline observer. She cited Section 79 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Constitution, which clearly states that a minister assigned to a government department holds responsibility for general direction and control over that department. Ministers are individually accountable for all activities of their portfolio, answerable first to Parliament and ultimately to the people of the country, she said.
Public office comes with mandatory accountability, Robinson-Regis stressed. Cabinet ministers are tasked with shaping policy, making key decisions, and ensuring optimal management of all human, physical and financial resources allocated to their portfolio. “They cannot enjoy the authority and prestige of office while distancing themselves from controversy whenever serious questions arise,” she said. If Lee is truthful about having no knowledge of the critical issues unfolding in his ministry, she added, the country is forced to confront an even more alarming question: who exactly is running Trinidad and Tobago’s housing sector?