Speaking Notes of PM Kamla, Monday Night Forum Debe

Speaking Notes of

The Hon Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP,

Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,

Political Leader of the United National Congress and

Leader of the People’s Partnership

Monday Night Forum

Debe Junction

March 23 2015

INTRODUCTION

Good evening people of Debe and south Trinidad!

Welcome to you all, our UNC family and PP family and all citizens of TT here with us tonight!

Thank you all for getting on board the Monday Night Forum as we journey forward into a second term.

The journey continues! And this is our call to victory…!

THE MOMENT IS COMING

To secure that second term, you will have a very big decision to make – a choice of who will lead you into 2020.

And the decision you have to make comes down to two choices.

You can choose a leader who has built and pursued a vision of progress for all in our country…

A leader who has kept 95 percent of the promises made in the 2010 People’s Partnership manifesto…and we not finished yet

A leader who has listened and fought for your right to influence Government with your thoughts and ideas!

Or you can make another choice…

A choice to return to the days of doubt over your liberties…

To the days of arrogance and dictatorship…

To the days when a political party was more important than the people of Trinidad & Tobago! You remember what they said? PNM Country..tonight I tell you there is no PNM country..there is only the country of the People of Trinidad and Tobago!

Are you ready?

Are you ready to stand with a leader who has always stood with you?

Are you ready to answer the CALL TO VICTORY?

YOUR CHOICE

You know, despite the best attempts by some persons, there are some facts that will never go away.

Since coming to office in 2010, the people of Trinidad & Tobago have had more influence over the work of their Government.

Since 2010, the people of all communities in our country have had more access to the services they need.

Since 2010 our children have had more access to education, healthcare and protection.

Since 2010, the elderly have had more support than they ever had before. We raised the pension. Not once but twice! and

And most of all, since 2010, our young people, working professionals, hard-working families, from every corner of our country, have had a better chance to build their lives, with homes, property, education and training, and new jobs.

Earlier this evening, you heard the voices of persons from your community

Those are among the voices which tell of how far forward we have come since 2010.

And those are among the voices which told you where, as people, as communities, as a nation, we want to go in the future.

IT STARTS WITH A VISION

You must have a vision.

Getting to this point was not an easy journey.

You know that more than I do.

You and so many other communities throughout T & T were neglected by previous Governments.

And the neglect went right down to basic needs such as water, electricity and decent roads and drainage.

I remember the way you told me it felt to be neglected and forgotten.

I remember when you told me that it was the simple things that you needed, to make a way of your own.

And I listened.

That is why when I came to Government, I understood your needs. 

Better roads and drainage,

Better jobs and incomes,

Better schools and training for your children,

Lower food prices,

Better quality health care, and

The means to give life to your hopes.

What you wanted was a Government that felt what you felt, and took your priorities as its own priorities.

You wanted a Government that understood that while we were building new structures in the capital, your children needed more comfortable schools.

You wanted a Government that understood that while the big projects were important, your communities were important to you.

That is why battle after battle in the Parliament and on the platforms, we defied the Opposition’s calls to stop ‘concentrating on the wrong people’.

Do you remember that old insult that was tossed at you time and time again?

‘South of the Caroni River…’ they said!

It was an insult that epitomised how deliberately they ignored your basic needs.

I ask you, are people south of the Caroni River not people too? And when we said we were building a campus in Debe…you know what they said? It’s only doubles down here.

I wonder if they remember that there are PNM people south of the Caroni? San Fernando West…but we will take them back.

It was an insult born out of a group of people having power, but no vision.

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

Most authorities on development, economic growth and achieving developed nation status agree on one very important point –

infrastructure is critical to growth, and to becoming a developed nation.

There is an organisation called the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Its Chief Executive is Dr Ibrahim Mayaki who wrote a paper called “Why infrastructure development in Africa matters.”

He quoted experts on infrastructure development in Africa, Antonio Estache and Grégoire Garsous.

This is what he said: 

“Both experts in infrastructure investment in Africa, state in their notes on ‘The impact of infrastructure on growth in developing countries’ that there is, indeed, a plethora of anecdotal and more technical evidence that better quantity and quality of infrastructure can directly raise the productivity of human and physical capital and hence growth.”

 “Furthermore, a recent World Bank study found that the poor state of infrastructure in many parts of Africa reduced national economic growth by two percentage points every year and cut business productivity by as much as 40%.”

And we spent time…if you have eyes you will see. There is development on the length and breadth of Trinidad and Tobago.

A VISION FOR SOUTH TRINIDAD

San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway

This is why I have resisted every attempt to stop the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway. WE will turn the sod for the Pt. Fortin Hospital, for the Arima Hospital. And in south Trinidad we have opened the San Fernando Teaching Hospital and soon in Penal we would begin work on the Specialist Hospital. Everywhere.

They will say what about POS? We have a hospital in Mt. Hope. But you know what? We are going to refurbish the POSGH.

But the Opposition in 35 years have not built a single hospital.

San Fernando Water Front Development

To continue with South… Cabinet will this week consider and finalise one of the largest investments in south Trinidad with the San Fernando Waterfront Development project.

Trinidad and Tobago must be the Jewel of the Americas. Which is why we build the Chaguaramas board walk and that is why Brent Sancho will tell you and you will come to see it the National Cycling Velodrome…the first in the region…

The San Fernando Water Front project will bring jobs for you…it will bring money in your project…

I will ask Dr. Tewarie to give us more details on that project…

HOME AND LAND OWNERSHIP

I worked very hard on the squatter regularisation. The other party…the big people party will come to break down your houses…remember that. And I will always use the rule of law in the constitution and went to court for so many people of Trinidad and Tobago. You were supposed to get certificates of comfort under that law. For the thousands who have applied they gave out less than 1000 all those years. But we have given over 7000 certificates of comfort..and more to come. You give us a second term and we will deliver..

We have the vision and we will get it to you… in the next term if you didn’t get it yet.

They saying cut cut cut…but I give you this assurance again. WE WILL NOT CUT JOBS

We will not cut the social safety net for the young and the elderly and the vulnerable. So come and tell us what is your plan. What is your vision. Because they have not one plan…your plan is to cut.

To cut the jobs…cut the social safety nets.

But we haven’t cut anything and let me tell you in the first quarter we have a surplus of revenue! But that means you save for a rainy day and I ask you to do the same. And we will continue to partner and work with you..

another day.

NO CONFIDENCE MOTION

So my friends, it is getting late and I want you all to take your time, and return to your homes safely.

I ask you to reach homesafely and go to work tomorrow…go to school tomorrow knowing this land is your land and your space. Stand up for your rights…you have rights on the road for passage.

And as you go, I want you to keep in mind that this is a big week for the people of Trinidad & Tobago.

On Wednesday from 1.30 pm, the motion of no confidence in the Opposition Leader will be debated in Parliament. We invite you to be there and to listen.

So I will say no more on that now except that you see and be there and listen carefully.

MARLENEGATE

I have some documents in a file here which I have named Marlenegate (not Marlene Coudray) which we will speak about on another day.

This and other gates will be open for you as we expose the Opposition for their hypocrisy and their inability to Govern Trinidad and Tobago.

CONCLUSION

As I close, I want to ask you which member of the Parliament has a worker working in their constituency collecting pay and that worker is living the in the United States of America.

So when we come with these issues..they say it is bacchanal but it is not. It is about the choices you have to make…about governance. These people are not even in government

So your choice is about delivery, about the vision is down the road…what has been delivered and what is to come. But that choice must also be balanced by the conduct of the persons in public office.

As I always say…you will have other Prime Ministers yes..but you will never have a Prime Minister who loves you as much as I do.