Sookhai looks towards 2017

“Trinidad and Tobago may be down, but we are not out! Now is the time for us as a people to find new spaces for collaboration and creativity.

Now is the time to build new, genuine and realistic partnerships amongst our nation’s stakeholders, notably the State, the private sector, civil society and our universities; UWI and UTT, so as to build a roadmap towards economic growth and address our social ills.” In his New Year’s message, Sookhai urged Government to “embark on a Strategic Economic Recovery Plan for Trinidad and Tobago.” He cited the December 14, 2016 report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which stated that TT experienced a deep contraction of 4.5 percent in 2016 while “other economists” put the estimated contraction was put at 6.0 percent.

“In addition to this, our hydrocarbon fields have been maturing for some time now and this is reflected in the declining output of ammonia, methanol and urea. Our export earnings continue to significantly decline, and our debt to GDP ratio continues to rise.

This is a worrying trend.” Sookhai argued that it is therefore time for the creation of a Strategic Economic Recovery Plan, one which “should seek to capture the ideas and views of the widest possible population of our society in order to create a deep sense of commitment to the success of this plan and build on patriotism.” Crime and violence, especially acts committed against women and children, were denounced by the CCIC president, who said “it is imperative that we begin the work needed to teach men that violence, abuse, sexual harassment are all wrong and contribute to a culture of fear for our women.

As men we must learn to take responsibility for our actions and behaviours and learn new ways to deal with our hurts and anger.” Speaking specifically about the high murder rate, which “is causing panic, fear and distress in our populace”, Sookhai argued that if we are to improve as a society, and if TT is to attract future investment, “meaningful solutions” to crime can only be achieved through a stakeholder approach and out of the box thinking.