Getting
down to serious business
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
11 11 07
The electoral fiesta is over. The dust is settling in the aftermath of last
Monday's general election as a new government must now get down to the serious
business of running the country.
During the campaign all three political parties
presented the nation with their manifestos outlining
their specific plans, all of which pointed in the
direction of ensuring a strong economy.
Over the past five years, Trinidad and Tobago
has experienced a major thrust toward an era of
industrialisation. The nation's macroeconomic growth
has been robust, the private sector has seen important
expansion and has become more competitive on the
regional level, activity in the construction sector
has become so intense that authorities have resorted
to foreign labour, unemployment is at one of its
lowest levels in the country's history and the
energy industry has emerged as one of the most
vibrant in the Western Hemisphere. In fact, Trinidad
and Tobago today is one of the leading recipients
of foreign investment largely as a result of its
political and labour stability.
With energy prices currently at record highs (crude
oil is at approximately US$95 a barrel and natural
gas averages some US$8.50 per 1,000 cubic feet)
and likely to remain high in the visible future,
the country should encounter no problem to finance
its industrialisation programme and a healthy economy.
However, many social, educational and technological
problems are yet to be resolved. The nation will
have to wait and see what specific policies the
new government will put in place to address those
ills.
Numerous things were said and a wide variety of
promises were made during the electoral campaign.
Now, the new administration must face the reality
of getting down to the serious business of taking
the nation forward to a new era of prosperity.
Story
from
Trinidad Express
Thursday, November 8th 2007
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