THERE was “reckless mismanagement, squandermania, and wanton misuse and abuse of public funds” at the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service during the tenure of former minister Foster Cummings, now a PNM Senator and the newly re-elected PNM general secretary.

This was stated by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Phillip Watts who revealed yesterday that Cummings hired 61 persons, many well known PNM affiliates, on short-term contracts between the period January to April of this year without proper process.

Contributing to the motion to adopt the Report of the Standing Finance Committee in the House of Representatives, Watts, who defeated Cummings in the constituency of La Horquetta/Talparo, said there was “a glaring pattern of misuse of public funds for partisan gain, masquerading as governance”.