Kamla: Bleak outlook for 2017

In her New Year’s message yesterday she wished citizens “a happy, healthy and productive New Year, one filled with hope and optimism”.

“The year that just ended has been an extremely difficult one for all of us. Crime remained a menace, with children and our elders becoming targets of killers and rapists; human trafficking was a disturbing and frightening reality, with women and girls being at greatest risk,” she said.

She continued: “Our economy experienced its worst performance in our history and everywhere there were signs of a country on a downhill slide. The present regime has led us to a sharp economic decline, and its irresponsible policy of borrowing to fund recurrent expenditure is putting future generations in deep debt.” She said added to this was Government’s “chronic lack of vision and the absence of any economic measure for growth and job creation”.

“I remain fearful for 2017 in every aspect of national life – the economy, national security, health care and social services.

The forecast for 2017 is bleak and the stresses that so many of our citizens have felt for more than a year will no doubt increase,” she predicted.

She however asked citizens to still be optimistic.

“Let us reflect on who we are and reaffirm our love and commitment to our country. If we can do that, we will rise again and make Trinidad and Tobago a better place for all of us. We can do it if we all work together, putting country first,” she said.

She continued: “The divisiveness and political partisanship that is the hallmark of this administration is a cancer and it will only go away when all of us decide this is our country and each of us has a responsibility to help make it the best it can be”.

She said that “under different political circumstances” they would have worked with all stakeholders “to navigate these turbulent economic waters to achieve growth and expansion through our green, blue and silver economic models”.

“Instead we find stagnation and a level of despondency our country has never experienced,” she lamented.

She called on citizens to unite and work at nation-building because that is the only way forward and stressed that “we cannot build a nation based on hate and political spite”.

“Today, citizens of this country are forced to carry the burden while those who govern treat you with contempt. The Government has not kept a single promise and there is every indication that they will continue this way in 2017 because they have no idea how to take us out of this crisis they manufactured to conceal their incompetence,” she added.

She continued: “We are governed by an administration that is handicapped by its arrogance and lack of vision and guided by a small elite that has no concerns for the people.” Persad-Bissessar said as this country begins a new year, as was the situation in 2016, “unemployment is on the rise, the cost of living is pushing families to starvation, new taxes will erode your shrinking income and the elite they serve will continue to prosper”.

“So my message as we start 2017 is that while you must be aware of the new circumstances in which we must live, you must also take charge of your destiny and work together as one family to effect the change that is inevitable.

You, the citizens of our nation must know your rights and stand up for them; indeed, you must demand that the government listen to your concerns,” she added.

She said that she is resolved to work harder in 2017 “to hold the government to account, and to try to push them to work towards enhancing your lives. Nothing is more important for me than the people of TT and my colleagues share this view”.

“The uncertainties you feel today are natural and the circumstances are real. But let me assure you that we have faced similar circumstances before and we have overcome them.

The darkest night ends with a new dawn that brings freshness and new hope,” she added.