PM Kamla speech at UNC Monday Night Forum, Barataria
Good evening.
CPL VICTORY
What a fantastic victory for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel last night! We are the CPL champions!
I congratulate Dwayne Bravo and all the Red Steel team on a wonderful achievement in winning this year’s CPL.
All of Trinidad and Tobago is very proud of them.
During this tournament we have seen the true value of leadership, teamwork and commitment.
It’s so heartening that they have made history and been crowned champions. They are an inspiration to us all.
How you vote here in Barataria San Juan – a key marginal seat – will be crucial in deciding who becomes Prime Minister on 8 September – me or Keith Rowley.
We are a great team too!
We have already selected excellent candidates who are working hard to secure victory and to secure a better Trinidad and Tobago for the people they want to represent.
And you know I am not the only one who is certain that we have the best candidates and certain that they will win.
A few weeks ago Keith Rowley said that if he won the election that no elected person would be a Minister.
Last week he announced Anthony Garcia as his proposed Minister of Education.
So clearly he is saying Garcia will lose in Arima.
Spot on Dr Rowley.
Garcia will lose.
We will win there and we will win everywhere in Trinidad and Tobago.
There are No, no go areas for us.
No PNM country.
We are going to win across Trinidad and Tobago.
PUBLIC DISORDER
We’ve witnessed deplorable events over this last weekend.
I pay tribute to our security forces and brave public servants who risked their lives to quickly restore order.
In particular we mourn the loss of a courageous law enforcement officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice performing his job and serving the public and his country.
On behalf of our entire Nation, I extend my sincerest condolences again to the family, friends, and colleagues of PC Sherman Maynard.
PC Sherman Maynard’s family have given loyal and distinguished public service.
His mother, father, brother, uncle and cousin are all serving or former police offices.
They are a credit to our nation and we are very grateful to them for all they have done.
We mourn with the family for the loss of PC Maynard.
A brave, loyal and patriotic man who gave so much serving his country.
His loss is tragic and of course a source of great sadness for his family and our nation.
Those who would threaten the security of our nation and our citizens should be under no illusion that we will relent or shirk from dealing with them and protecting our freedoms.
That is the best tribute we can pay to PC Sherman Maynard, an extraordinarily brave man.
I give reassurance to the people of Trinidad and Tobago again.
You have seen that the government is in full control of national security and will take all appropriate steps when needed.
I oversaw the national security operations and I’m pleased we saw this process through.
And I am afraid I have say to Mr Rowley, who spent his time criticising our country’s institutions and public officers, that by doing so disrespected the thousands of Trinidad and Tobago citizens who work hard every day to serve the public and improve our institutions.
I will not criticise our dedicated public officers.
I pay tribute to our police service and all the other security forces who have successfully restored order.
PRISONS
And my government will tackle the state of our prisons.
In 2013 I mandated a nine-member committee headed by Prof Ramesh Deosaran to look into the conditions in the prisons.
Following the recommendations of the Special Prisons Committee we addressed the provision of bullet and stab proof vests for prison officers.
We increased the provision of firearms to prison officers by eighty per cent.
We have procured more scanners and cameras as a big contribution to security measures.
Following the Report and my government’s actions, Prison officers are being supplied with emergency housing in instances where their lives may be at risk in addition to prison officers being supplied with personal housing through the normal allocation processes of the HDC.
My government has looked at prison conditions and cells have been improved with new beds, toilets and structural upgrades.
We have expanded the use of the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre to provide relief from overcrowding in the prison system.
We enacted legislation to create an Inspectorate of Prisons.
This will be a robust entity, suitably staffed by trained and competent individuals who are tasked with the responsibility for inspecting and reporting on the state of the nation’s prisons and the treatment of offenders.
We also have in train, plans to construct a modern, fully outfitted new Remand Centre at Golden Grove in Arouca which will have the capacity for 1,500 prisoners.
We are currently awaiting plans from UdeCOTT to take this project forward.
There is more to do and I have a clear plan for further reform of the prison system.
We will look at establishing a commission of enquiry into the criminal justice system.
We will address the delay in adjudicating matters in the courts so that prisoners who are on remand will receive preferential treatment over accused who are out on bail.
We will review the bail regime both from an administrative and judicial level to facilitate this process.
We will look hard at the state of our prisons for those serving sentences and those on remand.
So the security and safety of our prison officers, our public officers and our citizens are at the heart of everything we do and we are planning.
Be assured whilst I am your Prime Minister the people of Trinidad and Tobago have nothing to fear.
I will never relent or back down from protecting our country and the people.
WHY IT MATTERS –
LEADERSHIP TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE
Let me tell you why this matters so much.
This election is not a game.
It is about deciding who will lead and protect our great country. Who will take us forward?
It is about making a real difference to people’s lives.
There is an agreed date for a national debate on 30th July.
I will be there.
I challenge my opponent Dr. Rowley – will you be there?
You should be Dr. Rowley.
You owe it to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
So far Rowley refuses to debate.
He says himself he can’t speak because he has no policies.
He has no plan and no vision for our country.
He is trapped.
If he does speak people will see through him.
I challenge you Dr. Rowley.
Are you going to turn up on 30th July?
Will you be there?
Will you debate with me?
Remember he promised almost nine months ago to roll out the PNM’s policy document “Vision 2030.”
That was 275 days ago and the country is still waiting.
Dr. Rowley has said that he wants to resurrect the rapid rail project even though there is no need for it.
Consultants have put the cost of a project of this scope at $60 billion TT dollars.
You heard me right $60 billion TT dollars.
Now he is coming under scrutiny, Rowley himself admits “I don’t have a cent to put into the [$60 billion dollar] transit system”
So he proposes it and has clearly admitted he is going to have to increase taxes – especially VAT – and cut spending to fund his vanity rail project.
He is going to increase taxes on the hard working families in Trinidad and Tobago.
Increase their VAT on food and shopping.
Today a typical family in Trinidad and Tobago spends $1887 per month on groceries alone.
Under Keith Rowley’s VAT increase those same groceries will cost the same family $2,359.
That is an increase of $472 per month or $5,661 per year – just to do the family food shop.
These numbers don’t even include clothing, household furniture, kitchen appliances, electrical goods, utility bills, or the family car.
So when you take into account these goods, the cost to families is even higher – and they are costs that working families cannot afford to pay.
And where is he going to cut?
Is he going to cut spending on schools?
Is he going to cut spending on hospitals?
Is he going to cut spending on welfare programmes?
Of course it will actually be the people of Trinidad and Tobago who end up paying for it.
He’s going to make government spending cuts and he is going to raise your taxes.
Do you know what this is?
It’s a double whammy!
Licks by two. Licks by two. Licks by two.
You see this is why it matters.
This is why it counts.
It’s people who are going to suffer.
Families. Children. The old.
They are all going to suffer.
This man and the PNM must be held to account.
They cannot pluck projects out of thin air with no idea how they will pay for them.
He won’t tell you his plans because he falls into great big elephant traps like the one he fell into over rapid rail.
That’s not leadership Dr. Rowley, that’s a recklessness bordering on vandalism and its the economics of the madhouse.
Licks by two. Licks by two. Licks by two.
PROUD RECORD
And you know, we can be very proud of what my government has achieved.
Look at the country we live in today.
We worked hard to revitalise our country after the steep economic decline under the PNM government and have succeeded in achieving economic growth.
Not only investment in our country but more jobs too.
We have created thousands of jobs and ensured that 97% of the labour force is gainfully employed.
So people are gainfully employed and have money in their pocket for themselves and their families.
Trinidad and Tobago now rides high in international happiness tables because our government delivered:
- over 100 new schools;
- refurbished or built over 100 new health centres;
- created 56,000 new jobs and over 11,000 business in the last two years;
- brought clean water supplies to 70% of the population;
- and constructed hundreds of new roads and thousands of new homes.
I am so proud that we introduced the Children’s Life Fund and the Baby Grant which have both made such a difference.
We have constructed roads, drains, sidewalks, bridges, fixed landslips, community centres.
These have connected communities and provided the vital infrastructure they need.
Here in Barataria San Juan we have paved roads, constructed box drains, constructed pavements, laid mains, desilted drains all over the constituency.
We have constructed speed humps in Barataria and El Socorro, and provided street lighting of all recreation grounds and streets.
We have also constructed the El Socorro South Activity Centre.
Recently I officially commissioned two schools.
MY PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
It is so important we gain a second term so that we keep the economy on track and deliver prosperity for all the people.
Going forward we will make a dedicated effort to further diversify our economy to create jobs and promote growth, to improve people’s lives.
We will continue to invest significantly in education and training to help people improve their skills and get better jobs.
We will deliver the crucial roads to improve our citizen’s lives and to link our communities.
And believe me fighting crime will be a top priority.
Everybody shares concern about crime in our country.
I am concerned for my family and for the country.
We’ve made great strides.
We have worked with the police, improved border security and made sure our law enforcement agencies are properly funded.
As a result, overall serious crime is down by almost half.
Burglaries, robberies and car crimes are all down by more than half.
Drug crimes are down by more than fifteen per cent, shootings are down by nineteen per cent, and kidnappings are down by 41 per cent.
And murder is down by more than fifth.
But I know there is so much more to do.
Crime – and in particular violent crime – is still too high.
We are working to a plan and we need to keep going.
A plan to deliver security for you, your family and your children.
A plan to make Trinidad and Tobago a safer and more secure country.
- A zero-tolerance approach.
- Smart policing.
- Tough sentencing.
- Stronger border controls.
- And proper funding for our law enforcement agencies.
OUR PLANS FOR THE ECONOMY
And we have a rainbow of colours to generate the dynamic, vibrant economy our rainbow nation deserves and needs.
We are going to see the creation and stimulation of a green, blue and silver economy as i have outlined in recent speeches and as you will see when our manifesto is published..
THE CHOICE
In this election there is a crucial choice for voters as there are only two contenders for the job of Prime Minister.
They want a campaign fought on the issues by leaders offering them a clear choice.
Well they have that clear choice.
Me or Keith Rowley
My vision or Rowley’s lack of vision.
My plan or Rowley’s lack of a plan
My plan for a better tomorrow and a new Trinidad and Tobago or Rowley’s negativity.
Forwards with me or backwards with Rowley.
Do not despair for Kamla is here. Kamla is here
THE NEW TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Today marks a solemn day in the history of Trinidad and Tobago.
Twenty five years ago today, twenty four people lost their lives in a brutal attempt to destroy our freedoms and democracy.
We all remember the destruction of police headquarters, the assault on the Red House whilst Parliament was sitting and the attack on the Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) station
Through the resilience of our people, our security services and our institutions we were able to recover and rebuild a better Trinidad and Tobago.
We should never forget how precious our freedoms and our democracy are.
We should never lower our guard. We must remain vigilant.
Thanks to the measures my government has put in place, the National Security apparatus and the brave public officers who protect our nation, we are ready and able to deal with any public disorder that may arise.
We will never forget what occurred twenty five years ago and we will never relent from protecting our freedoms and the security and safety of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
That is the best legacy we can give to those who tragically gave their lives protecting our country.
My government has built and is building a new Trinidad and Tobago which is ambitious, idealistic, and united.
A place where people succeed on the basis of what they did for their country, rather than what they take from their country.
Having promised and delivered a turnaround, growth and progress in our first term, our work must continue into the second term if we are to truly achieve a nation we can celebrate.
I make this promise.
Till the day my life is through I will give every breath that I breathe and every sinew of my body to ensure that our children do get to live in the best home we can create for them.
There are no no-go areas for my party.
No such thing as PNM country.
We are here for all Trinidad and Tobago.
We are going to take PNM seats.
Do we want to go forwards or backwards?
Do we want to go forwards or backwards?
Thought so.
So your vote will be for strong and stable government and to secure yours and your family’s future.
Your vote will be for Kamla!
And for leadership to build a better future.
SPEAKING NOTES OF
THE HONOURABLE KAMLA PERSAD-BISSESSAR, SC
PRIME MINISTER OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
POLITICAL LEADER OF THE UNITED NATIONAL CONGRESS
LEADER OF THE PEOPLE’S PARTNERSHIP
MONDAY NIGHT FORUM
BARATARIA SOUTH SECONDARY SCHOOL
SAN JUAN / BARATARIA
27TH JULY 2015
[CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY]
Dear Madam PM,
Is it possible for us to have a national day of prayer or some sort of remembrance activity come July 27th every year to remember and to respect those lives lost through the insurrection? This is a very good plan to keep us constantly aware and vigilant and mindful of our past and consciously build a clear vision for the future.
Your live broadcast mentioned a golden economy or mindset. I am inclined to think that a golden age is imminent on us since it can be recognised as the sum total of the green, the blue and the silver economies.
In the light of scientific studies we need to be vigilant of the effect of rising sea levels due to global warming which is a cause for serious concern and proactive measures need to be immediately addressed in our country.
Thank you for your time, effort and patience.
God Bless
GJ