Kamla's inheritance from the PNM

Kamla Persad-Bissessar outlined her inheritance from the PNM in a speech Monday night at the Reinzi Complex to celebrate the first anniversary of her election as leader of the United National Congress.

Here's that excerpt from the speech:
Let me begin by describing a sample of the “hand that was dealt” to us when we took office.

• A depleted treasury
• A murder rate that was escalating and which had hit 550 at the end of 2009
• An unconstitutional SAUTT with highly paid Officers (getting $5000 top off pay) leaving the Police Service with lower paid officers and depleted in numbers. We had a de-motivated Police Service 
• The number of Officers short was in the words of the former Minister of National Security 2000 plus 
• The economy was in negative growth. The decline did not start with the PP Government. We have been working to halt the decline 
• The public debt was at its highest ever threatening the international financial ratings of the country. We have restored the confidence of the international Financial agencies in TT
• We inherited the CLICO and HCU matters, which as of date we are yet trying to fully unravel. We have not run away from our responsibility. We may not altogether agree on the way forward but we are a govt who intends to keep its word
• We inherited the wage negotiations with the PSA. This was something the former government failed to deal with and particularly so when the country was enjoying healthier finances. That today we are in a position where we are not in a similarly strong financial position does not mean that we are not prepared to do that which is right for the public servants. However the national interest must also be secured
• We inherited a series of unpaid bills to contractors, bills that were not paid long before our coming into government. These unpaid bills caused contractors to quit jobsites. The former Govt closed several housing projects affecting the economy. This shut down of construction started with them
• We inherited a situation where in the energy sector there were no bidders for deep sea wells. We changed the tax regime and bidders are back!
• We inherited abandoned housing estates including one for $156 million in Egypt Trace, Chaguanas, as well as a series of faulty homes and some that have been built on river banks and are about to collapse. We are going to fix this by discounting the houses and selling them off. The revenue will be used to start up new housing projects
• We inherited a legal system in which the wheels of justice were grinding to a halt. A good example of this is the 470,000 cases in the Magistrates Courts
• We inherited dilapidated schools with roofs caving in. A good example is the Charlieville Presbyterian School which has been re-built by Minister Gopeesingh
• We inherited unfinished Community Centers with heavy cost overruns. We are completing these and have been opening them for the benefit of the people
• We inherited a WASA which after billions cannot provide a reliable supply of water
• We inherited a Police Service who did not have the legislation to back up their ground efforts
• We inherited a Health Service with a backlog of surgeries especially in the area of cataracts
• We inherited a farming community who were having difficulties accessing services and payments for damages to crops due to floods. In our first flood response they were paid within thirty days by Minister Bharath
• We inherited an unfinished and cost overrun hospital in Tobago which we are completing
• We inherited a boat MV Su which was bought and repaired at considerable expense $25M - but never worked
• We inherited incomplete buildings in POS which are now bringing no revenues to the govt. We will complete them and use them for Govt offices because we also inherited a 400 million annual rent for Govt offices
• We inherited a 20% of the population who are impoverished and living as poor. This is 260,000 persons in a country in which the GDP per capita is about $100,000 TT on the average
• We inherited a decision by the PNM to buy OPV’s which were not built to specifications and which were costing $5 billion dollars
• We inherited a Petrotrin that is in debt and has been sued for $12 billion
• We inherited a Tarouba stadium that was supposed to cost $250,000 but now has cost close to One thousand million dollars
• We inherited a school system in which our young children were being sexually molested by teachers

This is a part of the hand we were dealt.

BUT WE ACHIEVED MUCH DESPITE THE HAND THAT HAD BEEN DEALT US.