PM warns Ganga Singh: Don’t rush to conclusions

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has warned Caroni East MP Ganga Singh about rushing to the conclusion that Government’s corruption investigations have not borne fruit. Manning was winding up the Budget debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Manning noted that Ganga, who had a lot to say on the issue of corruption, stated that after three years of searching if nothing had happened, it meant that there was nothing coming out of the investigation. “I say to my friend, the member for Caroni East, one has to await the evening to determine how splendid the day has been.”  Quoting UNC MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s statements that it was a “mauby” Budget, Manning said that Government was very proud of its “mauby” Budget.

He said the UNC brought “champagne budgets” for “Brian, Steve and Ish.” He said it was only because UNC MPs were “so comfortable — some much more comfortable than they should be” — that they could snicker at the increase in pension and food hampers and the removal of VAT on certain food items. Manning stated that the international agreement no longer permitted Governments to control food prices. “We chose to deal with it another way. By increasing the disposable income of the most vulnerable group,” he said. On the issue of education, Manning said the UNC took the country to universal secondary education, without a proper curriculum.

“It was building bricks and mortar which would have little impact on the quality of life of our citizens. They created more problems than they solved. On the issue of de-shifting, Manning stated that the one thing the Government did not propose to do was to de-shift simply for the sake of de-shifting. Saying that Government will do it according to a careful plan, the Prime Minister made this pledge: “By 2006, there will be no shift school.” Addressing the issue of Labico, Manning said Trinidad and Tobago lost over $645 million as a result of the decision of the Government to relocate the Farmland project. He said the matter was now subject to forensic investigation, along with the InnCogen, Desal and other project initiated by the UNC government.