Padarath: Scrooge Government for Christmas
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath today posed an urgent question to the Minister of Social Development and Family Services in the Parliament, asking what usual assistance will be given to Members of Parliament to help the most poor and vulnerable constituents during the Christmas Holidays.
According to Padarath the Minister boldly and proudly announced to the Parliament that there will be no usual assistance this year to MP’s in any form.
Padarath recalled that during the past People’s partnership administration, all forty-one Members of Parliament received food hampers and temporary food cards to distribute to the most vulnerable constituents for the Christmas period. Padarath also recalled that last year the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services did assist Members of Parliament directly and he was very disappointed in the approach taken this year by the government.
The Princes Town MP described the government’s response as that of a Scrooge and argued that having spent a budget of over 60 billion dollars we were in a sad state of affairs if the government cannot find funds to provide basic food for the most vulnerable in our society during the most solemn and charitable time of the year.
Padarath called on the Prime Minister as head of the Cabinet to review this decision and bring relief to the nation’s most poor and vulnerable during this season.
Padarath said while he understood the financial restraints during these hard economic times, this was an opportunity to show the nation that the needs of the people came first. Padarath said what was most upsetting is that the government has allocated money for very frivolous projects and items such as the Cazabon collection and the Brian Lara stadium but cannot allocate funds to assist those that really is in need of help to feed themselves and their families.