PM Kamla reviews 2010, looks forward to 2011 as the year to 'deliver, deliver, deliver'

My fellow citizens,

I hope that 2011, the first year of this new decade, meets you in good health, safe environs, hopeful spirits and strong resolve. As we move into 2011 and into all it holds for us, I pause to reflect on the past year, 2010.

2010 saw us, as a people and nation, reaching important goals and confronting new challenges. It was truly a significant year, one that ushered in dramatic political, social and economic changes for Trinidad and Tobago.

Today I lead a government with perhaps the broadest representation ever held in the political history of our nation. And this is good, for every citizen’s needs are heard, understood and responded to appropriately. We all sit and share at the same table. No one is left out.

The People’s Partnership government isn’t a political party; it is a philosophy of inclusion that is manifest in every policy developed and every decision taken.

As the person elected by you as Prime Minister, I am well aware that with the overwhelming mandate given come high expectations and a sense of urgency among the population to see immediate changes.

I understand and empathise with these demands for instant results. You have endured too much for too long not to be expected to want quick, positive results.

SOME ACHIEVEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT

In the past seven months of your new government, we have taken several key policy decisions and implemented measures to change and improve our economy, social delivery services, education, health, agriculture, tourism and cultural sectors, along with measures to reduce the crime and policies to strengthen our systems and services in national security and the administration of justice.

The changes have already started but not all results will be seen overnight.

We inherited from the past administration a Treasury that was severely depleted, State institutions which were plagued with allegations of corruption and a situation in which crime in its various forms was allowed to flourish.

But we have ensured that under the People’s Partnership, the principles of honesty, integrity, compassion, and the dedication to serve always in the people’s interest are once more the hallmarks of your Government.

I am aware that everyone wants things to change right away and you all have the right to feel this way after a decade of living in hardship and fear. And I assure you positive changes to our social systems and way of life have already begun to occur.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and to your working alongside our People’s Partnership Government, we have managed to ensure together that our country is on the right path to development and progress.

• There are those who for up to forty years have waited for a HDC house Finally, their dreams found fulfillment under this government
• Then there were those who had no letter of comfort who lived in fear that at any moment their homes would be broken down; today many have received such comfort
• There are sugar workers who for so many years after the closure of Caroni never received their instruments of possession for the lands promised them, today under this government many already have received their promised land and others are in the process of being regularised
• There are children who did not die because of our health policy based upon compassion which allowed them to receive funds for life saving surgery from the Children’s Life Fund and the Health Ministry’s urgent reallocation of funds
• There are those who through the innovative and people centred Ministry of the People have found renewed hope and have been able to cope with their circumstances of need. We were there for them during the flooding, we there for them when they called for help in so many ways. Those whose voices were never heard and whose needs were never met, find a place and a readiness of response. My government is one that not only speaks about caring but also delivers care
• There are those who were left devastated by flooding who benefitted from the relief efforts of the Ministry of Local Government
• Our children are being given the tools to properly position them in this age of technology as the Ministry of Education started our trail blazing project of laptops for all SEA students entering secondary schools; this project will continue in the New Year. We are in the process of redefining and reforming our education sector to place our children to realize their full potential
• Our preschoolers are not to be left behind as we are moving toward universal Early Childhood Care Education in the shortest timeframe available
• The GATE program is also being expanded and improved to ensure we also achieve universal tertiary education in Trinidad and Tobago
• Plans are underway for the establishment of a south campus of the UWI and an integrated campus in Tobago
• We have addressed crucial environmental issues, launching our on-going Clean Up and Beautify T&T programme which will be extended to schools and young people in the New Year
• The Ministry of Works and Transport began a traffic management programme to help reduce the gridlock
• We are implementing novel approaches to the drainage and irrigation issues across the country that will see positive results within a relatively short period
• We have started the process of reforming the health sector to be more responsive. We have placed hospital beds before tall buildings as a realignment of values
• We have ensured CEPEP and URP become more productive and personally rewarding for its members and bringing this labour force into the much needed agricultural sector as required by our hard working farmers. 2500 more jobs have been created in CEPEP
• Our government is strengthening the relationship with NGO’s particularly with regard to youth development as well as the care of the elderly and infirm. We recognise that there are certain ways through which the NGO’s will make better progress in addressing societal needs and I pledge the government’s support to them in complement with our own efforts
• In every way, our pledged philosophy of serving the people, serving the people, serving the people is being actively applied and demonstrated

 PLANS AND POLICIES FOR THE NEW YEAR

For 2011 in serving the people we must deliver, deliver, deliver to the people.

CRIME

Crime remains our major challenge. The situation was allowed to fester for so long that organised crime and gangs have become well entrenched. I appreciate citizens don’t want reasons, we all want results.

I give the assurance that Government will do everything in its power to ensure that the crime rate is reduced so that citizens can enjoy their Constitutional right to safety.

Only within the last 48 hours I have received in response to my demand for action a comprehensive outline of measures to be adopted in the New Year in the ongoing battle on Crime as we implement a three pronged attack on crime, viz., prevention, detection and conviction. The details of some of these measures will be made known within the upcoming weeks while others I am sure you will appreciate can only be seen as they are implemented.

I will stop at nothing in ensuring this scourge is removed from our society so people can walk freely and without fear once again.

And even as we adopt aggressive anti-crime measures introduced by joint police and army patrol units, the Attorney General’s Office has been working overtime to bring the kind of legislation that would support the police and the criminal justice system.

The Ministry of Justice, itself a new, innovative Ministry, has developed a policy on the matter of preliminary inquiries which is intended to speed up the process in court while freeing up the time of Judges and Magistrates. Criminals must be brought to justice speedily and the judicial process must function efficiently and effectively.

Tough anti-gang legislation and the Bail Act are now before the Parliament as we up the ante in several areas to attack the crime situation head-on. Tough times require tough interventions. As a government we do not intend to shirk from our resolve to defeat the criminals.

We are very concerned about the more than 17% who are living below the poverty line. While poverty is not an excuse for crime, we recognize the nexus between deprivation, a lack of opportunity and social deviance. This is why I have emphasized that in the fight against crime, my Government will place emphasis on social transformation.

THE ECONOMY

In this New Year, the People’s Partnership Government will ensure that the economy is further improved and stabilized to create more jobs, reduce the deficit, and improve the quality of life of all our citizens.

May I point out that as a new government we have had to deal with the $20 billion dollar CLICO issue, the $300 million dollar Hindu Credit Union debacle, the unpaid debts to contractors, the cash stripped treasury we inherited, unfinished buildings which had no revenue streams, a low level of productivity, low gas prices thus threatening revenue streams, deficit budgeting and negative growth rates.

All of this at a time when you have high expectations!

We, however, will not fail you at this time. We intend to be innovative and to work in partnership with the people, the business community and external agencies to change what we found and to do better.

We have announced certain plans for both CLICO and the HCU. We ask you to trust us and promise that when the economic circumstances change there is all likelihood that the twenty years proposal could also change.

We also send a clear message to those who take in trust the money of people and also our regulators in the financial sector that this government will not tolerate deception or misconduct in terms of professional responsibility.

But let me point out that even as we face a challenging year, there are very good signs for economic growth and a return to prosperity.

We are now poised to introduce a wave of economic measures that will create a heightened level of investor and consumer confidence.

• New acreages for off shore drilling have been awarded
• Employment generation has already begun as a result of interest in our free zone initiative announced in the budget
• Proposals for an integrated Chemical Complex are now before the Ministry of Energy and will be fast tracked
• The Highway to Point Fortin is about to be started
• And the construction of approximately 3000 new homes is being embarked upon by the Ministry of Housing

And these are merely some of the initiatives regarding what is being done to stimulate the economy.

There is no crisis of confidence in the economy.

We have been approached by investors both local and foreign who are willing to invest billions in our country, investments that do not require money from the government and hence will not be a debt burden to the Treasury. These proposals are before the Cabinet.

In addition there are developments which show that this country remains a preferred destination for foreign investment. For example:

Panama has approached Trinidad and Tobago for a partial scope agreement which will have positive implications for construction products and companies as well as the export of cement and asphalt.

The Vice Foreign Minister of Japan recently visited Trinidad and Tobago and proposed the visit of a Japanese Investment Mission

Ghana has approached TT for assistance in developing its oil and gas sector noting TT’s competency in this regard.

Given the unpredictable nature of price fluctuations, which seem to be always rising, it is imperative that 2011 be a year for aggressive food production.

Government is prepared to partner with the farmers and agricultural sector to ensure that we become close to self sufficient as possible. To achieve this we stand ready to implement innovative policies with respect to agricultural subsidy, agricultural infrastructure and even a policy of guaranteed prices.

MANUFACTURING SECTOR

My Government is aware of the problems being faced by the non oil sector particularly our manufacturers who employ large numbers of our people and who bring revenue to this country.

As such Government through the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will engage our manufacturers to develop strategies to go beyond our current markets.

Greater efforts will be made to target the niche markets of our Diaspora. Further, a number of our diplomatic initiatives will focus on trade and investment.

In this regard, the business sector will participate in the choosing of trade facilitators at targeted overseas missions.

HEALTH CARE

An area of critical concern to my government is the speedier delivery of quality health care. We are in the process of developing a short term strategic emergency plan to deal with the backlog of cases requiring surgery in the areas of cataract operations, as well as the long waiting periods for MRI tests and other procedures.

OUR PROMISE

The People’s Partnership Government is prepared to provide a facilitative environment by spending on effective investment infrastructure, to engage in collaboration and to partner with the private sector in the task of transformation.

I say that a commitment to serve the people is not enough. The people must see and feel the manifestations of service in better roads, better infrastructure, quality health care, lower levels of crime, sustainable jobs, less traffic congestions, lower food prices, better schools and quality education. 2011 then must be a year of delivery to the people. Deliver, deliver, deliver.

TIME TO UNITE TO FACE THE PROBLEMS

At this point it is important for me to stress that you, the citizens of our great nation are partners in this remarkable process of change my People’s Partnership Government has undertaken.

The task is impossible without your support and so I urge you to partner with us as citizens committed to civic duty and responsibility.

Let one of our collective New Year resolutions be to make a deliberate personal effort to be part of the transformation we all seek in Trinidad and Tobago.

Embrace the change required within you, within each of us, to realize the kind of life we seek for ourselves and our families.

May the past instruct us well on the way forward and guide us to a new year filled with new positive beginnings as it is often said that every person should be born anew on the first day of January.

This is our chance to begin with a fresh page and to welcome the duties and incredible possibilities of the next twelve months.

So let us collectively press the restart button as we join together to positively transform our nation.

CONCLUSION

In summary, my fellow citizens, it has been a very productive seven months in office. But for all we have achieved, there is still so much more to be done and I am not noted for trying the people’s patience. So, be assured, I lead a government in a hurry to get the job done.

But of all the things we will ever achieve, there will be none more important than what we have already returned to this country, and that is, compassion for you, the citizen, transparency in all we do, accountability always to you the people, a demand for integrity in public office and an inspired ability to work tirelessly and faithfully in the interest of every single citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.

And that, my friends, is what lies at the heart of good governance and it is certainly what lies in my own heart for this great nation of ours.

Remember fellow citizens, that it is through the truthful exercising of the best of our qualities as human beings -- respect for ourselves and others, honesty to our principles, faith in our ideals - that we come to life in God's eyes. It is how our soul, as a nation and as individuals, is revealed.

Now more than ever is the best time to recommit to taking our beautiful Trinidad and Tobago to that state of progressiveness, development, prosperity and happiness for all citizens which has always been our promise and dream as a people. It is time to move forward. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.

May I take this opportunity to thank you all for the support given so generously to me, for all the kind words of encouragement, to all the thoughtful Christmas messages and greetings I have received from across the country. I am overwhelmed and inspired by it all.

On behalf of myself, my family and each and every member of the People’s Partnership Government, I wish God’s richest blessings to you and yours for 2011 and may this year bring you and yours abundant happiness, health, prosperity, peace and love.

I extend to you all a heartfelt Happy New Year.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR NATION.