Trinidad and Tobago is offered US$1 million (TT$6.3 million) to help Haiti recover from the devastating effects of Tuesday's earthquake that left much of the country in ruins and killed tens of thousands.Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Wednesday Cabinet decided to provide the aid despite the fact that the country is facing a TT$7 billion debt.
Manning said the his government is waiting to find out more about Haiti's needs in order to determine the full extent of the assistance Trinidad and Tobago will provide.
"At any rate we have taken a decision to commit US$1 million to the Haitian effort immediately and we will see what happens afterwards. Things are very tight financially in Trinidad and Tobago now but they are immeasurably worse with the Haitians," Manning said.
Manning's announcement brought a cynical response from Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner. At a meeting in Princes Town in support of his candidacy for the chairmanship of the United National Congress, he expressed dismay at what he suggested is a paltry sum.
He knocked Manning for his hard times excuse, noting that the government could spend one billion dollars to host the world for a few days but cannot offer adequate assistance to the country's Caricom partner.
He told his supporters he had hopes Manning would show the same generosity as he did to President Bush when Hurricane Katrina struck. He said Manning offered Bush US$10 million and now is giving a paltry US$1 the poorest nation in the hemisphere.
Latest reports on the devastation in Haiti suggest more than 100,000 people may have died and about 2 million displaced. The disaster has triggered a worldwide relief efforts, bringing together international corporations and world governments.
Read more about the disaster at the CBC
In Trinidad, opposition leader Basdeo Panday send condolences Wednesday to the Haitian president. Congress of the People leader Winston Dookeran also send condolences.
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