Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Monday outlined her vision for Trinidad & Tobago over the next few years in a speech at a HDC key distribution ceremony in South Trinidad.
An edited version of the speech is reproduced below:
Friends, I have believed all of my life in the power of hard work, in the importance of work, in defining a life in the importance of work, in earning your keep, in making sure you do your best every day.
All of my life I have believed in the transformative power of education and that every child should get a great education. All of my life I have believed that we should show simple courtesy and respect to each other by caring for each other in times of need and all of my life I have believed that we can move forward with confidence, celebrating who we are as a people; that our best days lie in front of us not behind us.
These are the values that I have taken with me all of my life, these are the values that will guide me as Prime Minister. This is my personal blueprint for progress.
Since our assuming duties as a government we have created many opportunities in employment, infrastructural development, education, commerce, health, housing; all achieved through careful and decisive management.
Your government has developed a National Policy built on the premise of ‘Prosperity for All’. Within this context, the seven interconnected pillars outline the sustainable framework that will propel Trinidad and Tobago’s economic development.
Building a new and diversified economy driven by knowledge and innovation; building human capital and addressing basic needs of citizens are areas of pressing national concern; and so too is security; health & hospitals and housing; along with economic transformation and human capital development. These remain this administration’s priorities in the short, medium and long term. And we have developed several strategies to directly address these critical issues.
And on the basis of what we have achieved together – increased employment, strengthened and robust economy – I do want to continue to build for the future. In order to build for the future, you need to have comprehensive plans, executed by competent ministries and their agencies.
The Ministry of Housing and the Environment has articulated and followed through on its blueprint for national progress in a very direct and meaningful way through its agencies, by bringing crucial services to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago via Trinidad and Tobago Housing Development Corporation, in the area of housing and also UdeCOTT, through police, fire stations and hospital programme of construction.
Friends, our future should be about shared prosperity. It should be about work. It should be about skills. It should be about what’s happening in schools today.
But it should also be our way of showing to each other care and concern. And there’s never a more important moment to show care and concern for each other than when someone faces an illness.
A key part of our strategy is to develop new services and industries – starting in the area of HEALTH.
The healthcare sector in Trinidad and Tobago will become an increasingly attractive place for international healthcare investors, providers, services, facilities and healthcare professionals. We want to harness this potential.
By learning from the experience of others like Dubai, Singapore and Thailand and by building strategic relationships with local, regional and international partners, health will continue to play its part in the exciting development of Trinidad and Tobago.
Health tourism or medical tourism will become a burgeoning industry where people will seek medical help from Trinidad and Tobago because the services will be provided more readily, cheaply and to a more specialized standard and quality, not to mention the protection of privacy.
We will partner with several universities around the world to ensure the curriculum we present to students and to our citizens is right and relevant; ensuring we train our human resources who can then return to serve our citizenry.
By 2015, the Trinidad and Tobago Healthcare City, as it will be known, will become a globally acknowledged location of choice for health care; a centre of excellence for specialist medical services, medical education, life science research and technology leveraged health care services.
Friends, all of my life I have believed in the importance of work but I’ve also believed that education transforms lives. It transformed mine.
The single most important factor towards achieving our goals is enhancing our most important resource, our people. We will ensure our citizens are equipped with a high standard of competence; a high level of basic education; a high degree of industry relevant training programs which are not only geared towards hard skills development but that speaks to important human resource qualities such as work ethic and creativity.
All of my life I’ve believed in work, I’ve believed in the power of education, I’ve believed that we show decency and respect by turning to each other with care and concern. But I’ve also believed in something else. I’ve believed in something else, and that is that we should not be afraid of the future.
The best days of this country are in front of us, not behind us. I am an optimist. I am so hopeful about this country’s future. We’ve emerged from profound challenges strong and now we can continue building together.
In shaping Trinidad and Tobago’s economic future and finding our niche, we propose a growth strategy that encompasses medical tourism, leisure tourism, retail, fashion development and IFC business conventions…a Global City.
This administration will seek to expand our markets, seek out new business opportunities, develop a globalised plan and encourage a global mind set; all while tapping into the world’s best talents and technology.
We want Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to be recognised as the new financial frontier. Our strategic location gives us a time zone advantage; we are the gateway to the world; our intellectual capital and our established and successful financial services sector positions Trinidad and Tobago as an appropriate alternative.
Every decision we take, every strategy we implement has four aims in mind. First, to create substantial GDP growth for Trinidad and Tobago with good jobs and business opportunities for our people. Second, to create a compelling global hub for business, investment and talent. Third, we want to make sure we attract foreign investment and grow industry verticals; and forth, we wish to enhance the business environment.
Trinidad and Tobago’s future economies can be defined as service and leisure (medical, event, destination and conventions tourism); creative (fashion and movie industries); innovation and manufacturing (local manufacturing, business parks) and energy and energy-based industries.
I can only say to you that the People’s Partnership is here for you, full of vision and vigour; and we hold you in our hearts, in our minds and in our policy decisions and strategies.
Friends, I have believed all of my life in the power of hard work, in the importance of work, in defining a life in the importance of work, in earning your keep, in making sure you do your best every day.
All of my life I have believed in the transformative power of education and that every child should get a great education. All of my life I have believed that we should show simple courtesy and respect to each other by caring for each other in times of need and all of my life I have believed that we can move forward with confidence, celebrating who we are as a people; that our best days lie in front of us not behind us.
These are the values that I have taken with me all of my life, these are the values that will guide me as Prime Minister. This is my personal blueprint for progress.
Since our assuming duties as a government we have created many opportunities in employment, infrastructural development, education, commerce, health, housing; all achieved through careful and decisive management.
Your government has developed a National Policy built on the premise of ‘Prosperity for All’. Within this context, the seven interconnected pillars outline the sustainable framework that will propel Trinidad and Tobago’s economic development.
Building a new and diversified economy driven by knowledge and innovation; building human capital and addressing basic needs of citizens are areas of pressing national concern; and so too is security; health & hospitals and housing; along with economic transformation and human capital development. These remain this administration’s priorities in the short, medium and long term. And we have developed several strategies to directly address these critical issues.
And on the basis of what we have achieved together – increased employment, strengthened and robust economy – I do want to continue to build for the future. In order to build for the future, you need to have comprehensive plans, executed by competent ministries and their agencies.
The Ministry of Housing and the Environment has articulated and followed through on its blueprint for national progress in a very direct and meaningful way through its agencies, by bringing crucial services to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago via Trinidad and Tobago Housing Development Corporation, in the area of housing and also UdeCOTT, through police, fire stations and hospital programme of construction.
Friends, our future should be about shared prosperity. It should be about work. It should be about skills. It should be about what’s happening in schools today.
But it should also be our way of showing to each other care and concern. And there’s never a more important moment to show care and concern for each other than when someone faces an illness.
A key part of our strategy is to develop new services and industries – starting in the area of HEALTH.
The healthcare sector in Trinidad and Tobago will become an increasingly attractive place for international healthcare investors, providers, services, facilities and healthcare professionals. We want to harness this potential.
By learning from the experience of others like Dubai, Singapore and Thailand and by building strategic relationships with local, regional and international partners, health will continue to play its part in the exciting development of Trinidad and Tobago.
Health tourism or medical tourism will become a burgeoning industry where people will seek medical help from Trinidad and Tobago because the services will be provided more readily, cheaply and to a more specialized standard and quality, not to mention the protection of privacy.
We will partner with several universities around the world to ensure the curriculum we present to students and to our citizens is right and relevant; ensuring we train our human resources who can then return to serve our citizenry.
By 2015, the Trinidad and Tobago Healthcare City, as it will be known, will become a globally acknowledged location of choice for health care; a centre of excellence for specialist medical services, medical education, life science research and technology leveraged health care services.
Friends, all of my life I have believed in the importance of work but I’ve also believed that education transforms lives. It transformed mine.
The single most important factor towards achieving our goals is enhancing our most important resource, our people. We will ensure our citizens are equipped with a high standard of competence; a high level of basic education; a high degree of industry relevant training programs which are not only geared towards hard skills development but that speaks to important human resource qualities such as work ethic and creativity.
All of my life I’ve believed in work, I’ve believed in the power of education, I’ve believed that we show decency and respect by turning to each other with care and concern. But I’ve also believed in something else. I’ve believed in something else, and that is that we should not be afraid of the future.
The best days of this country are in front of us, not behind us. I am an optimist. I am so hopeful about this country’s future. We’ve emerged from profound challenges strong and now we can continue building together.
In shaping Trinidad and Tobago’s economic future and finding our niche, we propose a growth strategy that encompasses medical tourism, leisure tourism, retail, fashion development and IFC business conventions…a Global City.
This administration will seek to expand our markets, seek out new business opportunities, develop a globalised plan and encourage a global mind set; all while tapping into the world’s best talents and technology.
We want Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to be recognised as the new financial frontier. Our strategic location gives us a time zone advantage; we are the gateway to the world; our intellectual capital and our established and successful financial services sector positions Trinidad and Tobago as an appropriate alternative.
Every decision we take, every strategy we implement has four aims in mind. First, to create substantial GDP growth for Trinidad and Tobago with good jobs and business opportunities for our people. Second, to create a compelling global hub for business, investment and talent. Third, we want to make sure we attract foreign investment and grow industry verticals; and forth, we wish to enhance the business environment.
Trinidad and Tobago’s future economies can be defined as service and leisure (medical, event, destination and conventions tourism); creative (fashion and movie industries); innovation and manufacturing (local manufacturing, business parks) and energy and energy-based industries.
I can only say to you that the People’s Partnership is here for you, full of vision and vigour; and we hold you in our hearts, in our minds and in our policy decisions and strategies.
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