Kamla tells Manning scrap the summits, stop wasting money

Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar was on the warpath in the House of Representatives Friday accusing the government of reckless spending and even suggesting that the Manning administration should consider scrapping the two international summits this year that are costing one billion dollars.

She said government should ask the other participating countries for help in "sponsoring" these conferences or scrap them altogether. The Summit of the Americas is scheduled for April and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is being held in November. Bissessar was speaking in the debate debate on the Finance Bill in the House of Representatives.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning interjected to ask what would be the benefit to other countries if they contributed money to help pay for the cost. Bissessar returned the question to Manning: "What is the benefit to Trinidad and Tobago of hosting these billion-dollar summits at a time like this?"

She went on, "Instead of wanting to have a pappyshow and a show-off here in April and in November with these international summits, wouldn't it be appropriate that you talk to these nations which are experiencing similar meltdown and say 'listen, this is very difficult for Trinidad and Tobago at this time. Let us reconsider the hosting of this thing in this grand scale'."

She even suggested that Manning should consider scrapping them altogether. Bissessar took issue especially with expenditure on transport for the heads of delegations and their officials. The government is spending nearly $100 million to lease luxury vehicles for the summits.

"We could take that money and get police cars to deal with the crime in the country," she said, Bissessar suggested that the government is fiscally irresponsible to be cutting back on public sector housing, while "spending $500 million on a summit and purchasing 200 luxury vehicles."

She even suggested that the government should go back to the drawing board and write a whole new budget in light of the worsening global financial crisis that's happening a severe impact in Trinidad and Tobago.

The opposition MP said the government is constantly talking about prudent management of the economy, but questioned what is prudent about spending $200 billion in the last six years and then turning around and borrowing to run the country. "What is prudent about that?” she asked.

She said a responsible government would have saved so that in times of scarcity, it would have savings to proceed at a smooth level over time. And she lectured the government on basic economics, accusing it of taking the country from boom to bust.

"You have high income, you just spend it out. Two hundred billion down the drain, the proverbial dose of salt, coming today to borrow, telling the population to tighten belt. In my view, it is a total lack of understanding of very basic and very simple economic principles.”

She said she is seriously concerned about the sustainability of government’s expenditure and reminded the government that in 2008 the Opposition indicated that the Government had no notion of the extreme volatility of the international markets.

Bissessar questioned why Manning is continuing to spend big bucks on his pet mega projects when businesses and closing everywhere. She singled out the Essar steel plant.

In his response, Manning said whether the markets rise or fall, Government remains committed to the construction of the billion-dollar plant. "Now is the time to build, the market is going to come back up at some time," Manning said.

The prime minister accused the Opposition of being anti-industrialisation and said the UNC is against the PNM's vision of making Trinidad and Tobago a modern industrialised state. "Whether the market is up or down the vision stands. That is the difference between us here and honourable members opposite. They have no vision, they sway with every wind that blows," Manning said.

"Our policy is consistent and therefore, Mr Speaker, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is committed to the construction of the Essar steel plant because that plant is going to bring a new product to the market."