PNM
policies not luck brought boom
By Phoolo Danny-Maharaj
Trinidad Express
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
09 23 07
THE
decisive actions taken by successive and current PNM governments have resulted
in Trinidad and Tobago
reaping the benefits of high oil prices, and not
luck,
as the Opposition would want people to believe, said Prime Minister Patrick
Manning.
Addressing the formal opening of the sixth area
offices at Blanche Fraser Street, San Fernando
on Saturday, Manning said the Opposition parties
kept harping on Government's squandering of money
from high oil prices and also of creating a dependency
syndrome.
"The
enhanced revenue position has not occurred because
of oil prices but largely because the PNM
at this time, and previously, had taken steps considered
to be appropriate to ensure that we have a stable
and healthy economy."
He pointed out four major actions taken by the
PNM over the years to create the fortune of the
country today. First, Manning praised the late
prime minister George Chambers for giving a tax
break to the manufacturing sector at a time when
oil prices were falling and the government was
cutting back on social sector expenditure. Secondly,
Manning said in 1992 the PNM government took a
decision to reverse a policy with respect to the
export of natural gas.
They took a decision for natural gas to be exported
in liquefied form.
"Today, we are in a position to capitalise
on high gas prices. Now that we are exporting 2.36
billion cubic feet of gas, we are able to benefit
from high gas prices and now enjoy an enhanced
position," said Manning. He said if the government
was not exporting natural gas in liquefied form, "we
would not have been able to do that. So it is not
the high gas prices as they say".
Another factor was the decision to float the currency
in 1993.
"We
did it against the advice of all the economic
pundits and today the currency is stable."
The fourth reason for good times in Trinidad and
Tobago, Manning said, was the PNM's decision to
open the markets and liberalise the economy even
though the business community was against it.
He stressed that the country continued to benefit
from the actions the PNM took.
"They
(Opposition) said the country is wealthy because
of high oil and gas prices but it is not
because of that. It is because successive PNM governments
had the foresight to take decisive actions in an
atmosphere where everybody said we should not have
done, we had the courage of the conviction to do
it and the people are reaping the benefits of that."
Manning asserted that the PNM was ready for the
general election and was not fearful of any defeat
from opposition parties.
Replying
to his critics who said the PNM was fostering
a dependency syndrome, Manning said: "We see
it differently. The PNM believes that we have the
responsibility to help those in society who are
least able to help themselves and who are in need
of benevolence of the State."
One major objective of the next PNM government,
Manning said would be ensuring a new system of
local government, which calls for full time local
government representatives with councils operating
like Cabinet, discharging functions on a daily
basis.
This, he said, would call for the changing of
boundaries and other new mechanisms that would
enhance representation.
Trinidad
Express
Monday, September 24th 2007
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©2007 Trinidad
Express . All Rights Reserved.
