Promises, promises by PM Manning

IN A speech that belonged to a stage during National Elections campaign, Prime Minister Patrick Manning on Saturday assured that a better quality of life was coming for nationals of this country. This he stated while speaking at Government’s ‘Reporting to the People’ forum, held in Guaico, East Trinidad. He then dipped deeply from his bag of promises. “There will be great excitement for Trinidad and Tobago. It is happening. Stay tuned to the Budget,” Manning told the gathering. Manning said new developments to be announced by Government was not to be interpreted as Election signals, but that it goes beyond Elections. “It is to improve the quality of life in TT.”

Manning then spoke about the opening of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) in  O’Meara in October and the setting up of a committee to look at food prices and come up with proposal. He added that he received a copy of this committee’s report last Friday and promised comprehensive action will be seen in the upcoming National Budget. Manning then accused the supermarkets of the country of holding the people to ransom with their food prices. He said there was no competition for the supermarkets in the country and as a result supermarket owners and operators raised the price of goods at their whim and fancy.

Manning said that he had mandated TTEC to put street lights throughout Trinidad and Tobago at a cost of $636 million. This, he said he was guaranteed, will be completed before the stipulated three year period. CEPEP, Manning stated, would be upgraded as workers will be working from 6 am to 12 noon and from 5 pm to 6 pm they will be attending school, where employees will be exposed to literacy, etiquette and other programmes of study.

He added that CEPEP was not a relief programme but the whole idea was for entrepreneurship. Addressing the notion by some that PNM Budgets were for the rich and not the poor, Manning, said this was an unfair description. “Look at the school where you are right now, who benefits from this? It is your children. Budget after budget, social development has always been our priority,” Manning said. Attending the forum were Sports Minister Roger Boynes, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert, Local Government Minister Rennie Dumas and Agriculture Minister Jarette Narine.