KAMLA: WE WOULD HAVE MADE BACK PAY A PRIORITY
DOUBTS over back-pay commitments to Public Servants, Police Officers and others in the Public Service is a failure of the Minister of Finance and Government; no one else.
This according to Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar following the disturbing statement by Finance Minister, Colm Imbert.
Persad-Bissessar stated: “Following three months of wreaking havoc with the nation’s economic stability, Mr. Imbert is now saying that the Government has no money and cannot pay the back-pay due to Public Servants.”
Mr. Imbert claimed that part of the reason for the failure to meet back-pay commitments was due to the overdraft reaching its limit at the Central Bank. Told that the former Prime Minister stated that inflows amounting to $12 Billion dollars were due to come in to the Treasury, Mr. Imbert simply claimed that all the inflows did not come.
According to Persad-Bissessar, TT$3.8 Billion was due from the Trinidad Generation Unlimited; TT$1.5 Billion from the NGL IPO and TT$6 Billion in tax payments.
She said:
“Mr. Imbert’s claim that the inflows did not come in and he could not borrow because of ‘maxed’ out borrowing limits is dubious at best.”
“Even if we assumed that the said inflows were legitimately delayed, the Minister should have moved immediately to address the borrowing limits so that he would have been able to pay the back pay for Christmas.”
Persad-Bissessar added:
“The Rowley Government came to office fully aware of the impact of falling energy prices on the nation’s revenue. So even if Mr. Imbert’s claims were true, the fact is that it was the Government’s responsibility to assess our financial situation, find the alternatives and make appropriate arrangements to meet its obligations.”
On the options available to the Government, assuming that the said inflows did not come in, Persad-Bissessar said: “one option in the short term (until the delayed payments came in) is that they could have used the increased borrowing limits and raised short term financing in the market to pay the salaries. They could then have subsequently issued a long term bond to retire that short term debt if they so choose or, use the delayed inflows when they came in. This would have made available immediate funding to address whatever impediments existed.”
“The failure to meet this obligation is something that would never have been allowed to happen under the administration I led, because we took responsibility, we planned and worked by a clear economic plan. The Government I led would never have allowed the nation to pay for a Minister’s failure, as the Rowley PNM is now doing.”
“In fact, when we came to office in 2010, we were faced with billions of dollars in budget overruns, debts, missed payments and unsettled wage negotiations, and rather than complaining about it and making excuses, we moved to meet all obligations, and made it our priority to ensure salaries and back pay were fully covered. The people must always be a Government’s priority.”
“But the present situation is what happens when you are not ready for the job of Government, you spend three months doing nothing, making excuses for things you failed to do, and now you are making the people pay the price for your incompetence. This Government is clearly not up to the challenge” stated Mrs Persad-Bissessar.
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The Office of The Leader of the Opposition
Rowley administration woll sped their entire term blaming the last administration .but its very clear pnm dont have a clue what needs to be done .they just cant govern
Well said KPB. lies, lies and more lies by
Imbert and PNM.
Well said PM in waiting!