More money to be pumped into URP

After receiving the expected landslide for his slate of candidates headed by Works Minister Franklyn Khan,  Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s most significant announcement at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre turned out to be that Government was pumping more money into the controversial and much-maligned URP.

In an atmosphere of rampant speculation in which the rank and file membership confidently talked about and expected to hear that Martin Joseph was to be made the new National Security Minister, NHA CEO Noel Garcia to become the new Housing Minister and John Jeremie, the new Attorney General, the Political Leader’s wind-up left them hanging. The absence of AG Glenda Morean fuelled the speculation even more. But the only man, constitutionally empowered to convert speculation into reality — the Prime Minister — decided that the party and the country should wait some more. Instead, a victorious Manning to thunderous applause welcomed persons whom he had supported as the new officers of the Movement. It is noteworthy that the split in the votes between Hugh Francis and Harvey Borris allowed Khan to triumph. It was the closest of all the races.

With Khan at his side, Manning pledged greater equity in URP, although he stressed that priority would be given to the areas with the highest unemployment. Without saying exactly how much more money Government intended to allocate to the URP, Manning defended the decision to spend more, stating that there was “a rising level of frustration” as the result of unemployment. He said last year when Government “cut back” on the programme, the negative effects of this decision were felt in certain parts of the country. In support of his claim, he told the convention: “As one gentleman put it to me not too long ago, ‘I have 63 convictions. Who is going to hire me?’ And if the State doesn’t do it then you are contributing to a social problem...If people are not given a chance to provide for their families legitimately, they will do so by illegitimate means,” the Prime Minister said. He stressed that CEPEP was different and distinct from the URP.

Conceding that productivity was a problem in the URP, Manning gave no guarantee that the programme would, in the short term, produce acceptable levels of productivity. Rather he stressed that the principal aim behind Government’s intervention was to reduce unemployment. Manning also spoke about school indiscipline, but in contrast to last Thursday made no mention of a “cyclical” pattern of school indiscipline associated with the football season. Instead, Manning was a little more humble, confessing that “none of us has the crystal ball” to deal with this problem. “Your crystal ball is as good as mine,” he said. He said however that Government would establish programmes for the youth designed to deal with conflict resolution so that they would not feel the need to resolve disputes through violence.

The Prime Minister also addressed the problem of implementation, admitting that the levels of implementation for government programmes particularly those falling under the PSIP (Public Sector Investment) and SIP (Social Investment Programme) were “not what we wanted” last year. He said this issue was “priority number one” for this fiscal year because “in the final analysis, it is the implementation of plans that will determine the success.” Manning, in response to statements from “a Central lady,” announced that Government would build a hospital in Couva. The Prime Minister also put constitution reform solidly on the agenda, saying that there would be rigorous discussion on the matter within the party as well as with the wider national community.