PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad– Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has defended the T$57.6 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) budget presented to Parliament late last month, telling legislators it was the best allocation of the available resources.
“What we have produced here is the best allocation that we believe can be made on a budget when we know that we have TT$56 billion. No Nancy story, no fairy tales, no political diatribe. This is what we have,” Rowley told Parliament Tuesday night as the budget debate continued.
He said the opposition legislators, during their contribution, had failed to “get up and say how else to use the money we’ve got where to put and where to take it from” but instead had chosen to criticize and not support the passage of the fiscal package.
“Tell us that. Not one of you could have said move a TT$10 million from here and put it there because we have a limit of TT$56 billion. Still, you give the country the impression that we have unlimited money, endless elastic billions, and all we have to do is give it to the people,e, and if you don’t do that, you are wicked,” he said.
Rowley also dismissed suggestions by the Opposition that Trinidad and Tobago was in a “third economic boom” given the recent increase in oil prices on the global market.
“I want to warn the people of Trinidad and Tobago, do not listen to the UNC (United National Congress) spokespersons. There is no boom. So, for all those who expect boom behavior, there is no boom,
“All that we are experiencing here is a sudden, and possibly temporary, increase in earnings as a result of some circumstances outside which could change. Yes, we have some additional revenues, but that does not allow us to talk about the boom, and therefore we could cover all the expenses that they (the Opposition) have been demanding.”
Rowley defended the decision by the Government to increase the price of fuel and remove further subsidies to cushion the price of energy products saying if the market price of oil decreases, so too will the fuel cost at the pumps.
Rowley said Government anticipates that the fuel price will be determined based on the cost of it from the previous month and will be posted at gas stations.
“So at the end of the month, the government would look and see what the average price of fuel during the month is, and we’d post that for the month ahead,” he said, even as he conceded that his administration would be exploring avenues to assist fishermen as a result of the price increases.
Rowley recalled that former finance minister Larry Howai had, in 2012, under the Government of Oppositio0n Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar raised concerns with the fuel subsidy level, predicting that most of the support would need to be taken out of the equation by 2017.
Rowley said Howai had also noted that this country’s water, electricity and telecommunication prices were among the lowest in the world. No land, building taxes, and healthcare and education were free.
“That was the UNC’s justification and explanation for the conditions in Trinidad and Tobago in 2012, but they are trying to incite public discord when the Government in 2022 is doing exactly what they said should be done by 2017 as committed to by the minister of finance in the budget forum in 2012.
“I don’t want to call them hypocrites. I call them useless,” Rowley said.
During his contribution, Rowley also dismissed an accusation by Persad Bissessar that he had attended a “lavish” party on October 1 at a time when the population was suffering from his administration policies.
In a statement, Persad-Bissessar said Rowley had hosted the lavish party for himself and his wealthy friends, using taxpayer funds while ignoring “the suffering of the poor and working class.
“It was the evilest act of incitement against citizens, reminiscent of the behavior of detached tyrants and dictators… This opulent party is a hateful provocation to the citizens. This Government is detached from reality and is leading the country down a path of anarchy,” she said.
But Rowley told legislators that he was only a guest at the ceremony for the “PatriARTism” exhibition Angostura Ltd hosted as part of the activities marking the country’s 60th anniversary of political independence.
“I want to put on record, and for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, nothing is further from the truth. If this is what the Opposition Leader and the Opposition has to resort to, to try and get political support, trying to incite the country, trying to tell them that they are provoked, and they must act and a dog whistle for riot and anarchy and talking about tyrant and dictator…all I did was accept an invitation to a function hosted and funded by Angostura.
“As far as I know, Angostura is not the Government or taxpayers’ money. Angostura is a private company in which the Government has an interest, which has nothing to do with the Government. I was simply an invitee to the function, and that is what caused this hateful release from the UNC, and you all should be ashamed of your useless selves,” Rowley said.
In a statement, Angostura also indicated that the “closing ceremony, which marked the end of a successful exhibition, was a private function hosted by Angostura,” adding that Rowley was a guest and was asked by Angostura to deliver remarks.
Rowley also defended plans for the construction of a house for the chief justice, saying the current holder of the office is being housed at a rented property costing TT$54,000 a month.
Rowley called on the UNC to say why when it was in office, it had decided to sell a state-owned property that was identified as the official residence of the chief justice.
“Then when another chief justice came into office, under the Constitution, he has to be housed, super grade housing he has to get and the Cabinet has no say in that because Cabinet cannot interfere with the terms and conditions of any judge, far less the chief justice,” Rowley said, adding it was better business to construct a new residence for the CJ rather than pay close to $1 million in rent.
“This government under this PNM under my stewardship will build a residence for the chief justice, and we’ll put an end to that story,” he said.
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