PM Kamla outlines priorities for PP gov't in 2012

I greet you this day in the spirit of love and hope and togetherness.

My strongest wish for the year ahead of us, 2012, is that our people will come together as one, in the spirit of unity and harmony, to do things that will boost our collective pride and self-confidence and give our children inspiration and a spirit of optimism.

Let us learn from our experiences of the past and resolve to do better.

Let us build on our formidable legacy of achievement as a people and aspire to greater heights.

Let us thank God for his Divine Grace and embrace the future with optimism and commitment.

In this New Year 2012, as we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary of Independence, let us work together to build a Greater Nation.

Let us focus on the possibilities; let us focus on the opportunities; to this end, let us use our freedom responsibly and wisely, to be better and to be more – to surprise ourselves with our vast capabilities and be a source of inspiration to others.

These actions will redound to the good of our nation; and to a brighter and more glorious future; for the sake of passing on to our children a homeland that they can believe in and work for and commit to – let us do what we must, always, in the spirit of togetherness.

I want you to know that you are my inspiration. When your children embrace me, they inspire me. When you engage me in your communities, you inspire me. When you say thanks for the goods and services that my Government is able to deliver to your communities, you move me.

I made an early commitment that my government will serve the people; I made a commitment that my government will deliver goods and services to you; I made a commitment that my government will listen to you and respond to you. We know that we can do better; because there is so much yet to do. You can count on your government to be by your side and to stand with you.

We will continue to serve you, to deliver goods and services and to listen and to respond to you over the next three (3) years. We will do more each year, and we will do better each year.

2011 has been a very challenging year. I never expected that gang warfare, drugs and the threat of instability to our country would force me to call a State of Emergency. This was a very, very difficult decision for me to make. Now, on reflection, I know that it was absolutely necessary.

Once again I take the opportunity to say special thanks to the Security Forces under the Minister of National Security for their diligence and application over these stressful times. My thanks also go out to the families of these men and women who gave and who continue to give selfless service.

2011 has also been a challenging time in terms of governance, in terms of policy and in terms of project execution.

It has taken us some time to move from Manifesto, to one year action plans of Ministries, to Medium Term Policy Framework. The Medium Term Policy Framework is now a public document and discussions concerning the Framework have been taking place at Cabinet Level, at the leadership of the public service and are continuing at civil society level, with the business community, and we look forward to the engagement of the labour movement.

Ministerial Strategic Plans are being aligned to this Medium Term Policy Framework for sharper focus.

It is my view that with the clarity of the Medium Term Policy Framework on action and targets to 2014; with the strategic plans of Ministries now well aligned and ready for execution; with action on the Public Sector Investment programme; with anticipated local private sector investment and public-private partnerships, with new investments from abroad and with concerted action on 2012 budget execution, we will be able to stimulate confidence, heightened activity and more effective decision making to make a meaningful difference in 2012. More investment by the private sector is something we want to encourage as government proceeds with its own action.

May 2012 be the year in which we not only have peace, stability, harmony and togetherness but growth, jobs and prosperity as well.

I urge the public and private sectors to work together in partnership to ensure that we create a sound and vibrant economy. We must take our country forward together.

We have succeeded in reducing crime in our country; we will be working with communities to take back their neighbourhoods from criminal activity in the coming year; additionally the security forces have defined targets for reduction of crime and increases in detection rates which they must meet.

We note the continuing gang violence however, the rule of law must be made to prevail, and the police must be vigilant enough to stay ahead of the game.

Our assault on crime and criminals, guns and drugs will continue this year in a relentless fashion.

The criminals must not be allowed to instil fear in our neighbourhoods. And they will definitely not be allowed to usher in a reign of terror in our country. We will work diligently to keep crime under control and we will continue to rely on the security forces to do their job.

There has been talk of corruption at home and this country’s reputation for corruption persists abroad. Over the years this country’s image has been severely tarnished. But my government is doing something about it. If corruption surfaces in this government I promise you to deal with it. I made an early commitment to transparency and accountability and I stand by that.

We will bring Procurement Legislation to the Parliament this year as we have promised and we will strengthen transparency and accountability in government.

It is not fair to attribute motives to this Government that are rooted in knowledge of practices in the past, or that are meant to promote self-interest or partisan interest.

This government must be judged by what it says and does; not by what others say it should have done. Second guessing is easy when you do not carry the weight and obligation of responsibility.

We have identified five (5) priorities going forward for this year.

These are: 

• Crime Reduction and Law and Order 
• Agriculture and Food Security 
• Health Care Services and Hospitals 
• Economic Growth, Job Creation, Competitiveness and Innovation 
• Poverty Reduction and Human Capital Development 

And this will be where our focus will be sharpest.

We are going to do this and we will not deviate from being a government that cares for its people and delivers to its people.

This year we must take action to achieve three key objectives: 

• To grow the economic pie through investment, diversification, higher productivity and competitiveness 
• To reduce the percentage of State transfers, subsidies and social support through effective rationalization within a policy framework for growth and sustainable development 
• To bring larger numbers of our people out of dependency and poverty into skills and entrepreneurship generally through micro enterprises and small business development, in the process strengthen the economic inclusion process

In 2012, make a commitment with me, to redouble our effort, to do more and to do better wherever we live and work. Let us work harder, smarter and be more creative and innovative in all that we do. 

Remember our vision is “through creativity, innovation and collaboration; we shall prosper together” and our mission is “to achieve economic inclusiveness in an innovation-driven growth economy with greater equity, more meaningful participation”.

May 2012 be a personally satisfying year for each one of you. May you all be happy, productive and prosperous. And may this country that we love – Trinidad and Tobago - have a year in 2012 of prosperity, peace, harmony, unity and love.

God bless you all. And may God bless our nation.