Tourism Minister Robert Tonge tries to walk back on criticisms of local Contractors’ Management Skills

​Tourism Minister Robert Tonge says he regrets a statement made by him whilst providing an update on Tourism and Urban Renewal activities on a local radio program saying he was misunderstood.
 
Speaking to ongoing works on the Roseau West Bridge project, Tonge expressed his pleasure with the contractor government selected to manage the project, hinting that had if it been done the "local way", it would not be at this current stage. The project is expected to be completed by May 2017. Here are the comments made by Tonge on Monday.

​These statements were not taken lightly by many locals, and in a statement on his Facebook page, Tonge said "I want to categorically state that I was in NO WAY condemning the work quality or ethics of local craftsmen, contractors and entrepreneurs. An attack on local, would be an attack on myself and my family".
 
He continued, "I regret that my statement was misunderstood, however, many times when questions are answered quickly, the delivery can always be improved. My concern as articulated, was on the management of such projects. The current management company has shown that such projects can be executed on time.
 
My statement was meant to highlight the positives & successes of this project that was subject to so much opposition. Whilst the management might be foreign, the actual physical work is local, and we should be proud of that. We should not ignore the tremendous positives on this project, particularly the transfer of knowledge
 
While a few are up in arms with my statement, we as a community, local contractors included, must continually work towards improved efficiency, including but not limited to, (1) delivering products and projects on time; (2) managing resources to avoid cost overruns.  As we work together, we can ensure that the best possible product from Dominica is being presented.