Kamla urges youth to join fight, says PNM Manifesto has 'empty promises'

Kamla Persad-Bissessar appealed to the youth of Trinidad and Tobago to join the People's Partnership fight to move the Manning government on May 24 with a promise to strengthen and expand education opportunities as a top priority.

Speaking at a meeting in Gasparillo support for the candidate for Pointe-a-Pierre, the UNC leader made it clear that contrary to what the PNM has been saying, the People's Partnership will not be taking away any of the existing programs but instead will be making them better.

"We know our future, your future, depends on a good education. We need world-class schools that prepare our young people for the competitive world marketplace," she said.

A second priority, she said is create a safe and secure environment. "Crime is a plague that rests heavy on our young people and we must take all necessary steps to protect everyone in our country.

"What good is everything else if we are not safe in our homes, if we are not safe walking in our neighborhoods…if we are not safe in our schools. So to our young people?" She urged the youth to join the opposition fight for Trinidad and Tobago because they, more than anyone else cannot afford five more years of Manning and PNM.

"Do not sit on the sidelines, do not give up on hope. This is too important and I need you, the People’s Partnership needs you, our nation needs you," she said.

Speaking about the value of a coalition, Persad-Bissesssar said the country derives its strength from its diversity.

"We are one nation, comprised of people whose ancestors came from different continents, whose skins have different tones, and who pray to different gods. And the result is a beautiful culture that has produced music, dance, food and festival known throughout the world.

"We are not merely tolerant of our differences; we embrace our differences. We combine, share and exchange; and the result is that we are all better for it. We are stronger for it. And now the People’s Partnership finally presents for the people of Trinidad and Tobago a political choice that mirrors the strength of the nation," she said.

Persad-Bissessar said for the first time politics is not confined to a contest of race against race; region against region; interest against interest. Instead it is a new politics "that embraces our differences, and creates strength from what was once divisive in the past."

She slammed Patrick Manning for his criticism of the coalition as a threat to national stability and pointed to the government change that took place in Britian on Tuesday with the Conservatives having to work with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition to govern.

"Britain is working now to establish their coalition government in their parliamentary democracy. We got the idea of parliamentary democracy from Britain," she declared.

She added, "Our People’s Partnership is not just a sign of the strength of our democracy, it is a sign of the strength of our people. A people willing and eager to reach their hands across to their brothers and sisters, to join forces, are a people who are confident, strong, and becoming stronger...

"When we erase the boundaries between the people of Trinidad and Tobago, we find there are no boundaries to what Trinidad and Tobago can do."

Persad-Bissessar also spoke about the PNM manifesto, which was released Tuesday, calling it a collection of "empty promises".

"We know of their massive waste, mismanagement, corruption and lack of accountability. And so Manifesto or not, let me tell you Patrick, it won’t change the fact that the people of Trinidad and Tobago do not believe you anymore," she said.

The UNC leader literally ripped the document in a dramatic outburst against the document.

She promised that "On day one" the People’s Partnership will institute a Commission of Enquiry into the entire operations of Petrotrin, paying special attention to procurement practices.

She said the probe will forensic inquiry will focus on the refinery upgrade project and the massive cost overruns and the Gas to Liquid (GTL) plant which has led to multi-billion litigation in New York. She also pledged to manage the country's energy resources effectively.

Read related story: Petrotrin not aware of $12B lawsuit over gas plant in Trinidad

Persad-Bissessar said, "We will not be carried away by potential and possibilities. We will be guided by reality and we will manage risk and on that basis as we facilitate further exploration by constructive engagement of investors in the sector."

She said the energy management strategy would be premised the development of alternative sources of energy with a view to establishing an alternative energy industry.

"Research work is on-going at the University of the West Indies in solar, wind, wave and thermal energy alternatives. We will support research in such areas and provide incentives for more intensive research involving larger research groups," she promised.

In addition she said a People's partnership government will seek investment and partnership opportunities in third and fourth generation energy alternatives that will create "new, high value jobs for our people, while simultaneously contributing to our nation’s energy security."