PM Speech at UNC Monday Night Forum, Kanhai Presbyterian School
The following speech was delivered by The Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, MP Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Political Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) at the UNC Monday Night Forum, Kanhai Presbyterian School, Kanhai Trace South, Barrackpore, 9th March 2015
Good evening my UNC family …
GREETINGS
New Ministers …
Continuing Ministers
SIGN OF A VICTORY
‘ I can see the colours of the rainbow
And I can feel the sun on my face
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel
And I can feel heaven in its place
That’s the sign of a gictory,That’s the sign of a victory’
Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
The signs of a victory?
Victory 2015
ARE YOU READY?
Are you ready to give your government five more years?
Your party is ready … and we are depending on you to work hard for victory in 2015.
I can feel it; I can smell it; I can taste it
The time is coming soon and we must all be ready … in every corner of our two islands.
Spread the message that the revolution will continue…
It is the kind of revolution for which the PP is famous …
KANHAI ROAD PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL
And tonight we are fortunate to be inside one of the 83 schools we have built in just less than five years … that’s about one new school every month… because we sincerely believe that education is the greatest gift we can give to our children TO PREPARE THEM FOR SUCCESS IN THE WORLD AND IN THE WORLD OF WORK … to prepare them for sustainable jobs.
It’s a part of my vision to prepare our children to take on the challenges of the 21st century… that’s why we have given every child in secondary school a laptop computer – 95,000 computers to date … I am talking about laptops, I’m not talking about lap dances…this lap top giving is so that every child has the best opportunity to benefit from the new technology-driven age in which information is at your fingertips and time is measured in milliseconds.
When I was your minister of education in the Panday UNC government we built 55 schools like the ones in Biche and Brazil … the opposition fought against them because they refused to accept that children in rural areas should have access to schools in their own communities. The PNM said we were building schools for duane and lappe. So anything outside of Port-of-Spain the PNM doesn’t know where it is. You think they know here Moruga is? Where Tableland is? They said a girl from the bush in Siparia could never be the Prime Minister of this country.
You see education has never been on the PNM’s priority list … Dr Williams spoke about it but once he was gone the new PNM dispensed with the idea.
And this school is a prime example of our commitment to education.
The original building was dilapidated and unfit for children.
But it was in Barrackpore … outside the radar of the PNM … the PNM didn’t even know where Barrackpore was.
So since 2008 parents had been begging for a new school … they had to send their children to a school with leaky roofs and outside toilets that were insanitary…
But they pleaded in vain to an arrogant, uncaring PNM.
But when we came into government we heard their pleas because that is how we govern. We put people first.
We listen to the people and provide the things that are most important to them.
… we understand the value of educating our children.
We recognised the need for a school … and the result is this magnificent new building with all modern facilities.
Just a few months ago we official opened this school.
Congratulations to everyone who made it happen … led by our hard working Minister of Education Dr Tim Gopeesingh…
When you have a vision, you can change that to effective leadership.
And that’s what you can always expect from a People’s Partnership government … that’s what you can expect so long as I am your leader.
And that is what distinguishes us from the PNM.
We have a vision that puts you first … the people are the government and your needs are priority for us.
Education is just one of our priorities…
ANDINA
But I want you to remember, when my Government works, it was because we care about the things you wanted.
We understood how basic amenities could make your life happier and more comfortable.
Do you know why we have remained so committed to you?
Do you remember Marisha Mills?
The young lady who brought the spotlight on your community when her baby girl was the first to be born in the South for 2015?
She was delivered at home in the hands of her aunt and grandmother. Caring family
Her dad, Ashraff Makaskie, was excited over their baby girl, and that he liked the name “Andina”.
A beautiful baby girl was perhaps the best New Year’s gifts for this family, for this community.
And when Governments take power, these are the things that must guide us, this kind of joy, this kind of blessing that families experience.
That is why my legacy if there is one, it is not about tall buildings. It is to invest in the children of Trinidad and Tobago.
We must always remain loyal to ensuring that young people like Marisha and Ashraff have the means and the access to opportunities, so that their new families, with children like Andina can dream and grow and succeed.
This is where vision is born from, when you see the love and adoration that goes into families and communities, and you are given responsibility to ensure their future is secure.
That is one of the reasons why we have improved conditions in your community – this school, roads, alleviating flooding, water supply.
No confidence motion and motion of censure
I told you last week that I had instructed Leader of Government Business to file a motion of no confidence in the Opposition Leader for his failure to disclose Mr. West was his witness in a private law matter when he agreed to the joint nomination of David West as Director of the PCA.
Since then, I have been following with interest the weeping and wailing and knashing of teeth from the Opposition Leader PNM.
They claim that such a motion is unprecedented.
They claim such a motion is unconstitutional
They claim the victory of such a motion is a foregone conclusion because government has a built in majority in the parliament
They claim such a motion would have no result because there is no constitutional sanction or penalty
UNPRECEDENTED – means first time ever
Yes the motion of no confidence is unprecedented in T and T and elsewhere in Australia they moved the motion of censure against the Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition.
Yes the PP government is now well known for unprecedented action and delivery for the benefit of the people of TT-
PP Unprecedented Achievements
- 95,000 laptops delivered to secondary school students and teachers
- Children’s Life Fund has saved over 100 lives to date
- Commenced construction of the University of the West Indies in Debe
- A National Security Operations Centre; a Rapid Response Unit; and a Counter Human Trafficking Unit were established.
- Removed VAT on 7,000 food items (Flour, Rice, Sugar- Divali, Eid, Christmas)
- Launched the first training programme of the Aviation Institute of Trinidad and Tobago at the Camden Airfield in Couva
- The GATE program was expanded to technical and vocational education and training.
- Increased 24/7 Water Supply from 18% in 2010 to 70% in 2014
- The establishment of an integrated campus for UTT (Tobago)
- First ever Drilling Academy in the history of our country, responding to upstream energy activities.
- Halted the decline of oil production for the first time since 2005, with oil production now trending upwards, currently at approximately 80,000 barrels per day
- Recorded the highest amount of direct foreign investment in history – from an FDI of US$500m in 2010, we have now crossed FDI of over US$3 Billion.
- We will be the first Government to set the target for universal pre-school education, and achieve it.
- We are the first Government to have kept our word to use social programmes such as CEPEP to develop skills and channel people into better incomes and better jobs. (CEPEP workers to be channeled to the manufacturing sector – previous Government used CEPEP as an election tool)
- Started construction on the Children’s Hospital in Couva, when complete will be first digital hospital and FIRST Children’s Hospital in the region
- Raised the minimum wage by 66%.
- National Cycling Centre- (On-going)- First for the Region
- National Tennis Centre- (Tacarigua)- First for the Region
- National Aquatic Centre- (On-going)- First for the Region
- Unprecedented Nationwide Infrastructural Development.
- The El Darado Nursing Academy.
- Settled 83 wage negotiations 34 of which was left outstanding by the PNM
- First St. Barbara’s Spiritual Shouter Baptist Primary School – MALABAR
Good Governance /Transparency/ Accountability
- Standing Order- 83
A maximum of Five days allotted for examination of the estimates in Standing Finance Committee together with the Appropriation Bill, this is the first time in history is has been televised.
- Prime Minister’s Question Time
During the second sitting of the House each month there shall be Prime Minister’s Question Time at the time designated in the Order of Business.
- Local Government Reform
- Proportional Representation
- Constitutional Amendment Bill:
- MP Recall
- PM Term Limit
- Runoff- Elections
- Introduced and passed legislation to govern public procurement, bringing a new element to integrity in public office.
We are proud of these and other unprecedented achievements
So yes the motion is unprecedented in TT.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL MOTION
They claim the motion of no confidence is unconstitutional because there is no express provision in the Constitution like s. 77 re motion of no confidence in the PM
The fact that the Constitution does not expressly provide for such a motion is not a bar to bringing such a motion.
There is no express provision in the constitution for a motion of no confidence in a minister, yet every Monday morning they bring same …… they have brought about 3 motions of n c in ministers
There is no express provision for motion of no confidence motion in the Speaker but this has been done in the past and recently they brought same in the Speaker
The standing orders of the House expressly provides for that ……. SO 34
Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that cannot be done
In fact any member of the House can bring a motion of n c against any other member
So no, the motion is not unconstitutional
Government Majority
This holds for all motions of no confidence including those brought against me as PM.
This holds for all Bills requiring a simple majority vote.
And who knows if there may be an upset of the orange cart – PNM members voting for it.
Remember when I brought the motion of no confidence against PM Manning, he dissolved parliament and called election just before debate of same because there may have been uncertainty of numbers.
NO SANCTION
There is no constitutional sanction, true; but there is the ultimate sanction of rejection by the people.
The motion would allow for full ventilation on this matter in the public interest.
The LOP will have to give an account to the parliament and for the benefit of the public for his conduct.
SO WHAT IS THIS MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THE OPPOSITION LEADER ABOUT?
Westgate
It concerns the duties of elected officials exercising public functions.
So tonight I want to talk to you a little on the duties of elected officials and those exercising public functions in your name.
You see, my Brothers and sisters, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is governed by the Rule of Law.
What that means is that all public decisions or actions are taken in accordance with the law, and not in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner.
Public officials therefore must exercise the powers entrusted in them in good faith, reasonably, for the purpose for which they were conferred and without exceeding those powers.
All public functionaries, whether elected or not are constrained by the laws which give them such powers.
In Trinidad and Tobago every Member of Parliament must take an oath to:
“… uphold the Constitution and the Law…”
and to:
“… conscientiously and impartially discharge the responsibilities to the People of Trinidad and Tobago without fear or favour…”
My brothers and sisters, since being appointed your Prime Minister, I have sought to do just that, in the interest of all of the people of our beloved country.
Furthermore, all persons in public life must act in accordance with the Code of Conduct laid down in the Integrity in Public Life Act.
Let me tell you some of the duties imposed by that Code.
Firstly, public officials must be fair and impartial in exercising public duties.
They must not give any preferential treatment to any group or individuals.
They must not use their office to advance the interest of any person (it could be their friend or their witness in court).
They must also not use their office directly or indirectly for private gain (for example by enticing someone to go to court to “bat” for them).
That Code of Conduct my brothers and sisters also imposes certain duties on public officials. One of those duties is to disclose a possible or perceived conflict of interest.
Now, some of you may have heard of the term “conflict of interest” and wondered what exactly it is.
According to the Code of Conduct, a conflict of interest arises when a public decision maker knows or ought reasonably to have known that when making his decision, there is an opportunity either directly or indirectly to further his private interest or a member of his family or any other person.
The courts have held that not only judicial officers, but also elected and non-elected officials must act without bias or apparent bias when they exercise their public functions.
In the Australian case of Hot Holdings Pty Ltd. v. Creasy Mr. Justice Kirby put it this way:
“… it is “quite wrong to suggest that, because the decision-maker is a Minister, necessarily a politician and an elected official, he or she is exempt from the requirements of natural justice, or enjoys an immunity from disqualification for imputed bias.”
Many of you will be aware of the furor that has erupted over the appointment of Mr. David West as Director of the Police Complaints Authority.
This was as a result of the national community discovering the previously unknown fact that Mr. West had agreed to be a witness in a private case brought against Dr. Opposition Leader for defamation.
Tonight I wish to put the events to you in context, and ask you, the final court of public opinion what do you think?
After all, every Member of Parliament performs his functions on your behalf and for the benefit of every single person in this land.
So, let me give you the sequence of events:
- On 23rd June 2014, Mr. West was in the process of reviewing and finalizing his witness statement, which was in draft form. That draft witness statement was intended to be submitted on behalf of Dr. Opposition Leader in the High Court matter of CV 2012-02948 Anand Ramlogan v. Dr. Keith Opposition Leader.
This was according to Mr. Faris Al-Rawi in a sworn affidavit filed in that matter.
- On 27th June 2014 Mr. West submitted his finalized and signed witness statement to his attorneys.
This was according to Mr. West’s signed Press Release issued on 26th January 2015.
- On 2nd September 2014 His Excellency The President received an Instrument of Resignation from Ms. Gillian Lucky, then Director of the PCA.
In that Instrument, Ms. Lucky indicated that she was resigning as Director with immediate effect.
- By letter dated 2nd September 2014 His Excellency The President wrote to me, advising of Ms. Lucky’s resignation and inviting a joint nomination from the PM and the Leader of the Opposition of a person to be appointed to fill the vacancy left as a result of Ms. Lucky’s resignation.
- Having received the letter from the President, in the Cabinet I asked for recommendations of a suitable person to fill the office of Director of the PCA.
Thereafter I received recommendations orally from several Ministers.
One such recommendation was that of Mr. David West, who was recommended by the former Minister of National Security, Mr. Gary Griffith.
- Thereafter, I spoke with Dr. Opposition Leader on the telephone and sought his view on the recommendation of Mr. David West. Dr. Opposition Leader subsequently telephoned me, indicating his agreement that both he and I should proceed to jointly nominate Mr. David West for appointment as Director of the PCA.
- By letter dated 3rd November 2014 Dr. Opposition Leader wrote to me with reference to our prior conversation, indicating his recommendation of Mr. David West and his expectation that a joint nomination be made to His Excellency The President.
- Thereafter, I wrote to His Excellency The President enclosing Dr. Opposition Leader’s letter and advised His Excellency The President that both Dr. Opposition Leader and I had agreed that Mr. West should be appointed Director of the PCA.
- On 7 November 2014 The President appointed Mr. David West Director of the PCA.
- Mr. West’s witness statement was subsequently filed in the said matter on 19th December 2014.
- Mr. West’s Press Release of 26th January 2015 was as a result of a newspaper article in the Sunday Express Newspaper of 25 January 2015 entitled “AG DUCKS”.
This was the first time that the fact that Mr. West was a witness for Dr. Opposition Leader in pending High Court litigation was ever made public.
- Dr. Opposition Leader admitted in the Parliament on 20th February 2015 that he did not discuss with me the fact that Mr. West was a witness for him in a private lawsuit in which he was a party.
- Dr. Opposition Leader also informed the Parliament on that same day that as far as he was concerned, there was no requirement to discuss with The President the fact that Mr. West was a witness for him in a private lawsuit in which he was a party.
- At no material time did The Opposition Leader nor the former Attorney General Mr. Anand Ramlogan nor Mr. Gary Griffith nor any other person indicate to me that Mr. David West was a potential witness or indeed a witness for Dr. Opposition Leader in a private court matter.
I only found this out by reading it in the newspaper in January 2015.
Those, my brothers and sisters, are the bare facts.
You are the final judges of the politicians.
They act in trust for you – not for them or their friends or even their witnesses.
You see, my brothers and sisters, the PNM culture for more than fifty years has always been to perpetuate the hypocrisy that they are the ones naturally fit to govern this nation, while in the backroom they use and abuse their positions for their own benefit.
It is said that the mark of a man’s character is not what he does when everyone is looking, but what he does when no one is looking.
Clearly any reasonable person would see that Dr. Rowley had a “possible or perceived” conflict of interest in that there was either an opportunity or a perceived opportunity either directly or indirectly to further his private interests in securing Mr. West’s continued co-operation in giving evidence to support his defence, and possibly to appear in court at the trial to be cross-examined.
So it is Dr. Rowley, under a legal duty to disclose his conflict of interest in that Mr. West was assisting his defence in court by giving evidence, hides that fact from me – when I as a joint decision-maker ought to have been informed of it. What is worse, he tells the Parliament that he was under no requirement to inform the President.
Wrong and Strong my brothers and sisters.
The “Rottweiler” has turned out to be a “Pothound”!
So I ask you, my brothers and sisters, having been informed of the facts:
- Do you think that Dr. Opposition Leader was biased in favour of Mr. West, his potential witness?
- Do you think that Dr. Opposition Leader acted to further his own interests when he nominated Mr. West?
- Do you think thatF Dr. Opposition Leader should have told me and the President about Mr. West’s involvement in his court matter?
- Do you think that Dr. Opposition Leader should have told His Excellency the President as well?
- Do you think that Dr. Opposition Leader has abused the trust of the people?
- Do you think Dr. Opposition Leader has compromised the appearance of independence of the Police Complaints Authority?
Is this the man that aspires to be your Prime Minister? God forbid! What are we to expect of him then?
Remember, this is the “Raging Bull” that seems to “wine up” and charge at anything that does not measure up to his standards of integrity and decency.
But oh how those standards have fallen today, my brothers and sisters.
The mask has fallen.
The PNM hypocrisy has been exposed for all to see. Every “man jack” in Balisier House has suddenly gone silent on this issue. Where is their PRO?
But we will help them out my brothers and sisters.
We will file a Motion of No Confidence and Censure in the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament.
It will give those on the Opposition benches a chance to stand up with us and be counted for what is right, or tow the PNM party line and go down in history as condoning and supporting what is clearly and obviously wrong.
READ MOTION
I challenge the Leader of the Opposition to remove the party whip and allow his Members to vote their conscience on that Motion.
Good governance now demands it. It is only right that this be done.
LIES?
The Opposition Leader has to get his stories consistent.
The trouble with telling lies is you have to remember all your lies. So when confronted with the fact that he knew that David West was his witness but did not tell that to the President, he admitted that he DID NOT TELL ME AND THAT HE DID NOT TELL THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO REQUIREMENT TO DO SO
But last week he changed the story. He said he didn’t know anything about West and that only his lawyer knew. (PNM VIDEO)
So if you so foolish that you do not know who your witnesses are, you do not deserve to be the Prime Minister of this country
So tonight I want to ask the Opposition Leader to tell the nation which version of his lie he wants us to believe …
- Did he know and didn’t tell?
- Or did his lawyer hide material facts from him and he didn’t know about West?
- One of the two is a lie… may both are lies
- The people of Trinidad and Tobago want to know …
It is very clear to me that what the Opposition Leader tried to do last week was throw Faris Al Rawi under the bus while trying to clear himself of any responsibility relating to the David West witness statement.
So if a man sue me and my lawyer getting a witness statement to support my case the lawyer wouldn’t tell me? What kind of lawyer is that?
Do you believe him?
Your hear lie… that is lie
PRO OF THE PNM – Faris Al Rawi
But it gets curiouser and curiouser as the plot thickens
The PRO of the PNM is on record as the lawyer for the Opposition Leader and he files a witness statement on Dec 19th 2015 on behalf of the Opposition Leader.
So he is now lawyer and witness for his client the Opposition Leader in the same court case.. ( REFER TO APPENDIX)
I see all the big lawyers from the PNM get thrown out and a rejected UNC lawyer being used. When you good you good and the UNC is better than the PNM…so much so that even a rejected UNC lawyer better than all of them in the PNM.
He is also on record as saying that he was working on instructions for the settling of Mr. West’s witness statement.
Rule 35 of the Code of Ethics, Part A Third Schedule of the Legal Prohibition Act is clear that you cannot be both witness and lawyer for your client in the same case except to recite formal matters like dates of filing etc.
I wonder whether the Law Association and/or its disciplinary committee has anything to say about this.
HUNTERS
Some good news – Report on National Wildlife Surveys 2014
The Survey is the first of its kind, and has been established to take advantage of the moratorium on hunting to collect data that would allow for a better understanding of the state of our wildlife resources.
It is designed to ascertain baseline data on game mammals in Trinidad and Tobago and with subsequent surveys, provide the basis for monitoring trends in population levels through trained community persons and retraining local hunters to collect data on species and their habitat.
A hunting moratorium was implemented in October 2013 for a period of two years.
The selected areas based on distribution of forested habitats and in consultation with hunters were Nariva; Trinity Hills: Southern Watershed: Central Range: Northern Range and Main ridge Tobago.
The University of the West Indies is responsible for the project methodology which was developed to ensure that it is scientifically valid.
The Survey focused on the five game mammals however, ALL wildlife observed were recorded during the surveys.
There were 27 groups consulted inclusive of South East Hunters Association, Mayaro Mafeking Hunters Association, South Eastern Hunters Association, Confederation of Hunters of Trinidad and Tobago and St. Patrick Hunters Group:
In October 2015 the ban expires.
IN CONSULTATION with Min Ganga Singh, I am happy to announce that it is our intention that hunting will be reintroduced at the end of the moratorium in accordance with the data and findings.
All stakeholders will be advised later this year about the reintroduction.
CANE FARMERS
More good news -Compensations Settlement Cane Farmers
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) ceased the cultivation of sugarcane in 2004, consequent to the closure of Caroni 1975 Ltd in August 2003 and completely exited sugar manufacturing in 2007 when it sold the sugar factory to the private sector.
In 2006, at the global level the European Union (EU) in compliance with World Trade Organisation ruling on preferential trading arrangements phased out its sugar regime mechanism which provided guaranteed prices for Sugar Protocol Countries.
The European Union under its Accompany Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries (AMSPC) provided support to draft Trinidad and Tobago’s National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) which sought to address the negative impacts of the phase out of sugar production. .
Following several meetings by our government with cane farmers’ associations in response to their appeal for financial compensation utilizing EU grant resources, consensus was achieved where by cane farmers would receive a final payment in the sum of TT$130 million.
I am happy to indicate that my Cabinet has approved the compensation package for former Cane Farmers as a Final Settlement to the 2007 Transition Payment out of the Sugar industry.
My Cabinet also agreed that a formula to ensure all cane farmers benefit from this final compensation package be developed which would be agreed upon between the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the relevant Cane Farmers’ organizations be developed.
My Minister of Planning, Dr. Bhoe Tewarie has informed me that is now in the hands of Cane Farmer Representative Organisations detailing this proposed compensation package and we await their acceptance or disapproval.
So it is all now in the hands of the Cane Farmers Organizations
ECONOMY
Today, in 2015, the macroeconomic indicators by which we measure our economic strength as a regional leader and global player are far better than the economy we inherited in 2010.
Our economic fundamentals are stronger:
- Unemployment remains historically low at 3.6 percent; (slide) lowest in the region
- At the end of December 2014, our foreign reserves stood at US$11.3 B (TT$73B), an increase of almost 30 percent from 2010 and the highest in our country’s history; [Source: Central Bank]
- Import cover has climbed from 10.4 months in 2012 to approximately 12.7 months in 2014 , again the highest in our country’s history [Source: Central Bank];
- The Heritage and Stabilization Fund has increased by over US$2B since 2010 to US$5.5B (an increase of over 65 percent since 2010 [Source: Central Bank];
- New Investment in the energy sector is projected in 2015 to be well over US$2Billion (TT$13 billion)
- Inflation remains in single digits down from double digits in 2010.
- Our debt remains comparatively low with public sector Debt to GDP at approximately 40.6 percent [Source: Central Bank];
- In December, Standard and Poor’s reaffirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s “A” credit rating, with a stable outlook for the economy, and
- Our Balance Of Payments is robust and our dollar continues to be strong and stable.
The same prudence with which we managed the economy since 2010, to bring us to a position of resilience and stability, will be used in shifting our priorities and maintaining stability.
So we have witnessed a surplus in the first quarter of 2015 of $328m despite falling oil prices.
Thanks to MOF Dookeran and now Howai our economy is strong and stable.
CONCLUSION
That is how we will get back in government.
And always put God in front and walk behind …
Stand firm … Stand together because united and with God in front we know no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
Get ready or victory.
God bless you God bless Trinidad and Tobago.