Lee hits Govt’s ‘nothing committees’

“It is quite disturbing that after 20 months in office, within an economic climate that has seen vulnerable energy markets coupled with consistent contractions of the economy the Minister of Trade (Paula Gopee- Scoon) has now seen the importance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Diversification.

The questions must be asked, what has the Minister of Trade been doing in the past 20 months,” Lee said in a press release.

He accused Gopee-Scoon of trying to re-invent the wheel regarding foreign direct investment, regarding an inter ministerial committee she recently launched to boost the non-energy sector.

“It was simply a task of this administration seeking to continue with these plans and improving upon the framework which was laid.

“However from day one this Government has failed to be aggressive, innovative or even diligent to work towards encouraging Foreign Direct Investors into Trinidad and Tobago’s economy.” Lee said that while in 2015, half of FDI entering the Caribbean came to TT, in 2017, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said TT had earned “small amounts” of FDI, which Lee estimates to be $50 million.

Rather than FDI to provide jobs, foreign exchange and economic diversification, Lee accused government of incompetence and lacking vision, leading the nation into an abyss of economic stagnation.

“Given the number of committees this Government has enacted to mask its incompetence and inability to deliver timely development they should be known as the ‘Committee Government’, he stated.

He hit government for a loss of 21,000 jobs, borrowing billions without creating revenue- earning measures, allowing the economy to be downgraded to junk status and sitting idly by as TT plunges headfirst into a crime catastrophe.