Trinidad’s 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 on Tuesday night as the budget debate continued here.
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, but you give the country the impression that we have limitless money, endless elastic billions and all we have to do is give it to the people and if you don’t do that you 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 simply want to warn the people of Trinidad and Tobago, do not listen to the UNC (United National Congress) spokespersons. There is no boom. So, 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 got some additional revenues but that does not allow us to talk about 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 the subsidizes to cushion the price of energy products saying if the market price of oil decreases, so too will the cost of fuel at the pumps.
Rowley said government anticipates that the price of fuel will be determined based on the price of it from the previous month and it will be posted at gas stations.
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 totally ignoring “the suffering of the poor and working class.
But Rowley told legislators that he was only a guest at the ceremony for the “PatriARTism” exhibition which was hosted by Angostura Ltd as part of the activities marking the country’s 60th anniversary of political independence.
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 an invited 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 on the chief justice.
CMC/
