Tasty promises from pm

Crime being the primary concern of citizens, Mr Manning tackled this early in his three-hour presentation. As expected, the Government plans to buy new crime-fighting equipment, mainly helicopters and boats. But, as has been rumoured for the past few days, foreign assistance is to be brought in. Scotland Yard will be giving help in the areas of equipment and expertise, while the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be brought in to reorganise the Police Service. It also appears that the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT) is to be given an expanded role in this new dispensation. If so, this will surely create new controversy about that unit, given its still unclear status in the national security apparatus.

Education was identified as "priority number two" by Mr Manning. He announced plans to build new schools, to de-shift junior secondary schools, and to expand the number of enrolments in government-funded tertiary institutions. Most significantly, all students will be given free tertiary education as of next year. This will certainly greatly benefit the middle class of the country. The Government also plans to expand the early childhood care programmes, building new centres and training 1,500 new teachers.

Mr Manning also made it clear that his administration is aiming at full employment, with the latest official figures standing at 7.8 percent. He hinted that the URP programme will be scaled back as unemployment drops, but also hinted at an expansion of the CEPEP programme. Not only does the Government plan to use CEPEP workers in disaster relief programmes, but the employees are to be mandated to work from 6 am to 12 noon and to have training sessions from 4 to 6 pm Oddly, these sessions are not in skills training, but in life skills matters like conflict resolution and family life.

In the health sector, a notable initiative is the creation of mobile clinics which will specifically target rural areas. These clinics will provide general primary health care and advice, and even carry out blood sugar and cholesterol tests. Rural areas are also to benefit from infrastructural development, such as roads and street lights.

In the area of culture, controversy will surely arise with the Government’s plan to build a Carnival Institute, given the long-standing calls for a National Performing Arts Centre. And there will no doubt also be protest over Mr Manning’s announcement that the Government will begin promoting the steelpan as a national symbol, even to the extent of putting steelpan icons on all public buildings.

All in all, the 2005-2006 Budget is a pudding of tasty promises. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and, as an analysis of the previous Budget shows, this Government tends to lapse on implementation. But Mr Manning also announced the formation of no less than 15 "special purpose State enterprises," which will be responsible for implementation alone. How these will function only time will tell but, despite the bright future promised by the Prime Minister, citizens will be looking for positive action within a very short time frame.