*QUEENSPARK SAVANNAH * CONVENTION ADDRESS 2014 THE ROAD AHEAD…BUILDING A NATION TOGETHER PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT, PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LEADERSHIP. Party Chairman, Party Officers, Delegates, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen Let the nation know that we are preparing and prepared for office. Today’s event is yet another step in our party’s preparations to contest the next General Elections, and to go on to form the next Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Our preparations have been meticulous and comprehensive. Internally, we have revised the Party’s Constitution and held elections for the Leadership of the party through “one man one vote”, under the revised Constitution. Nationally, we fought and won the Tobago House of Assembly elections, the St Joseph bye-election, and secured victory in the Municipal Elections, despite the last minute introduction of “ proportional representation”, to the system of elections. We have also been preparing for Government. The hard work of Government starts after elections are won. Fortunately for Trinidad and Tobago, the PNM, the most experienced party in Government, is ready and able. We have been in Government for 37 of the 52 years since Independence in 1962. We happily take credit for most of the successes and development that have occurred in this country over the last 50 years. We know how to and we have successfully balanced and grow a complex economy in a competitive society. We know what it is to create opportunity for all whilst carefully preserving and nurturing social harmony in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-racial nation. Some people have been saying: “Tell us what your policies and programmes will be so that we can decide whether to give the PNM our support”. We have largely delayed a response, somewhat, until recently for two important reasons. First, the PNM in Government, using the widest talent pool available to the country, had developed and published a comprehensive plan for the development of Trinidad and Tobago which we had termed ‘Vision 2020’ – a bold and ambitious framework of policies with the simple objective of securing developed country status for Trinidad and Tobago by the year 2020. Having lost office in 2010, the implementation of that plan was stalled by the arbitrary, vikey-vie policies of this UNC-led government. I will spend no time on this occasion dissecting why this government’s policies and actions have left us worse off after four and a half years of perpetual mismanagement. That we will leave for another time. The fact is we had a policy framework already laid out with which the population was familiar. We must refer to the Vision 2020 policy framework simply, because the planning framework was aspirational – it set out a vision for the kind of society and economy we wished to create for the benefit of all our people. As the book of Proverbs chap. 29 verse 18 says: “Without a vision, the people perish”. We have a vision for our society. This UNC coalition government has none, or at least not one for the whole society, and that is why we are perishing under their stewardship! The Vision 2020 Plan was developmental – it set out how we would grow the economy and the industries and sectors we would seek to encourage; It was transformational – it set out how the economy and society would be transformed so that we would have a sustainable, productive economy based on a caring, inclusive society. These goals remain valid but largely unfulfilled, so we persevere. The second reason why we resisted the calls to articulate our policies and programmes before now is that, while broad long term goals and objectives can be set, along with key principles to guide them, actual programmes and initiatives must emerge from an assessment of the current situation and the immediate prospects for the economy and the society. One cannot sensibly articulate many specific programmes in 2011 or 2012 for what one would do in 2015 or 2016 on assuming office. We have therefore been carefully reviewing and re-assessing the Vision 2020 policy framework and updating and amending it in the light of recent developments in the local and international environments. We have also tried, honestly, to assess what things we did right and, importantly, what things we did wrong while in Government between 2002 and 2010. We know that we made some mistakes and it is our intention to learn from those mistakes in order to improve how we formulate policy going forward. We are now less than 8 months from the general elections. The road ahead is clearer and the PNM is in a position this evening to give to you and by extension to the national community, in broad outline, the policy framework which will guide the PNM Government which will assume office at mid- year, 2015. We have termed this revised policy framework, The Road Ahead to 2030… Building a Nation, Together’. We will elaborate in the weeks and months ahead and of course, more details will be contained in the party’s NATIONAL ELECTION CONTRACT documents which will be published in due course. We expect our policy framework to attract critical commentary in the media and elsewhere and we welcome this. We ask delegates and the wider national community, to make the effort to understand the policy framework, critique it and give us your feedback. We will refine and rethink as necessary our policies and programmes in the months ahead. When we assume office we will establish a permanent, professional Economic Development Board which will proceed to develop and roll out three successive five year plans which will take us to the Year 2030. Of course we trust that the population will continue to repose its confidence in the PNM to guide the country over that 15 year period. Why would this country want to return to the rampant “in your face” corruption, uncaring, costly mismanagement and inequitable, self-serving policies of a UNC Government? Fundamental Principles Let me begin by setting out the fundamental guiding principles of our party. Policy is not formulated in a vacuum or, as with this Government, by vaps! Policy must be based on certain principles which we hold dear. It is principle which allows us to make choices between competing objectives and also between different ways of achieving objectives. It is principle and the adherence to principle which allows us to reject, unequivocally, the argument advanced by some that there is no difference between the PNM and the UNC and other parties. Whilst one can point to shortcomings or allegations of corruption on the part of one or two Ministers in our long history there has been no instance of collective misfeasance by a PNM administration. We will have never and will not have sought to pass a Section 34 outrage to support and protect those who seek to escape justice in the Courts. We will not and never have used subterfuge to pass a law, hoping to provide an advantage to our party in an election. On two distinct occasions in is short, sorry life, this Kamla-Persad-Bissesar Government has engaged the Parliament to carry out nefarious, self-serving actions of Government by deception. Deception, like how they would have you believe that they did not know that the President was receiving a hefty housing allowance whilst having a suite of accommodation available to him, until the media broke the story. This matter was raised in a Public Accounts Committee in the presence of the Government since last year and the Government simply chose to look the other way. Now we have the Attorney General telling us that the CPO is independent and the Government is helpless. That wasn’t so with the 5% edict and we wait to see who will guide the next Public Service negotiations. You simply can’t trust them with anything they tell you! There are six (6) guiding principles which inform and underpin our approach to policy. The first and most enduring – Morality in Public Affairs -- was first articulated by Dr Williams and the party’s founders in 1956, as a counter to the “bobol” which even then was prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago politics. There are three critical elements of this principle – Transparency, Accountability and Zero Tolerance for Corruption. The PNM, in Government and in Opposition, has consistently promoted and supported legislation which seeks to prevent corruption, improve procurement practices and deal with transgressions. On this matter I now lead from the front! The second principle -- Personal Responsibility. One of the features of modern societies is the increasing role played by the State. Much of this is perfectly acceptable in that it is based on the recognition that it is the responsibility of the wider society to recognize and respond to the needs of those who are least able to cope with life’s challenges; the differently-abled or who have suffered from some historical disadvantage which must be addressed. But this does not in any way diminish the responsibility that each of us has to ourselves and to our families, once we are able to do so; to work as hard and productively as we can to secure an adequate standard of living; to maintain family health and hygiene and be contributing members of our local communities and the wider society in Trinidad and Tobago. The PNM does not advance or endorse dependency, irresponsibility or slothfulness. We recognize and support the family as the basic unit of society and we take the position that parents have a fundamental duty and a legal responsibility to provide for and educate their children, and that means providing for and educating themselves. It means protecting ourselves from the ravages of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The PNM encourages and supports individual initiative in creating and fostering new business activity and the right of those who work hard and are enterprising, to enjoy the legitimate fruits of their enterprise and labour. The third principle, already alluded to, is Generosity: Being Our Brothers Keeper; Our Environments Protector. We have to be a caring society, one that looks out for and is prepared to assist our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than we are as a result of physical, psychological or mental disabilities. We have to care for and protect our children and our elderly. In addition, as a small country comprised of two small, vulnerable islands, we have to be keepers and protectors of our environment and ensure that we use the resources – depleting and renewable - sensibly and with sensitivity. The fourth principle is Equity. Unfortunately this is a word which is often misunderstood and abused, especially by this Government which cloaks its partisan and undemocratic actions under the rubric of ‘equity’. Equity is not equality. Equity means that everyone has access to relevant opportunity. The child inclined to arts and music must have an opportunity to express his/her talent and be shown how he/she can be successful in life, pursuing that opportunity; and the same for the technically or academically inclined. The PNM will ensure that the resources of the state are distributed equitably, and that everyone wherever they live or work has a fair shot at success. And where the distribution of scarce state resources have to be prioritized, we will explain why we have set priorities and when those who must wait will be able to benefit. The fifth principle is Productivity. Dr Eric Williams gave this country the watchwords –Discipline, Production and Tolerance. As a society we have not been sufficiently mindful of these watchwords, not least the importance of Productivity. The global economy is becoming increasingly hostile and as a nation we have to strive to be productive in the right kinds of economic activities. The world does not owe us a living and we cannot expect to rely forever on wasting hydrocarbon assets for our prosperity. We also have to stop the waste and profligacy, especially in the expenditure of state resources. We saw the enormous waste in the recent budget allocations and we saw the same in programmes like LifeSport and we see the Government’s vulgar brainwashing, multi-million dollar advertising campaigns. A PNM government will ensure that our resources are wisely used. We wouldn’t have to brainwash you. You will observe and approve of good governance. The sixth principle is Subsidiarity. This principle, which has been developed in the European Union especially, is simply that in political systems, decision-making should be devolved to the lowest level where it is practicable and competent to the decisions made. It means decentralization, devolution and giving real resources and greater responsibility to Local Government, something we have talked about for 50 years in Trinidad and Tobago, but which we have done little about. It means, now, a greater role for Municipalities and non-governmental organizations and it means that institutions like Parliament must be made to play a much greater role through reformed, aggressive oversight for ensuring accountability and transparency and consequences. All of our policy ideas are and will be tested against these principles and where a proposed policy does not conform to a relevant principle, it will be discarded. We will not, like this UNC government, give lip service to principle while its very actions betray its true character. But more about that at a later date. The State of Our Society and the Challenges We Face Our policies have been and are being developed on the basis of an assessment of the state of our economy and society and where we see the global economy and international relations evolving over the next few years. As a society, we continue to enjoy many positives. We have on average a fairly decent standard of living, although poverty is still unacceptably high. Our watchword – Tolerance – is practiced by the vast majority of our citizens, most of the time. Class, racial, religious, colour and ethnic prejudices do exist. But historical struggles for equality have muted those prejudices and whenever they surface expressly, they are quickly and decisively shut down. I also think that by and large we can be encouraged to be a civic-minded and caring people. It is true that some of those values have eroded over the last few years, but I think that it would be correct to say that, for the most part these important strengths in our society continue to endure. We are also an open, democratic society which cherishes its constitutionally protected rights and freedoms. We have a strong, vigilant press which is jealous of its own freedom and which is, by and large, responsible in the exercise of its freedom. We enjoy religious liberty and the freedom to vote for those whom we wish to govern us, a freedom tarnished by the undemocratic amendment to the Constitution establishing “run off” in a futile attempt by the UNC to manipulate the next General Election. But we also have serious challenges which we must confront even as we nurture our strengths. The first and most obvious challenge is Crime, especially murders , which today, notwithstanding their lying propaganda is 10% higher than last year. Four and a half years, not 120 days, the Government has failed spectacularly in dealing with its number one campaign promise. The roots of this scourge lie in an education system which is failing two generations of students in certain communities. Here there is poverty, illiteracy and the drug trade which has brought and constant flow of arms and ammunition into those communities. Combine that with weak policing and law enforcement combined with a judicial system which is too slow to prosecute and we have the perfect cocktail to make any criminal smile. The response here is to train and sustain, at all levels from parent to Commissioner. A second challenge is our Energy Sector and the further development of Natural Gas and Petroleum Production. The shale gas revolution in the United States is altering the market for our natural gas, significantly. The multinational corporations which explore and develop our natural gas resources have global options for their investments and the downstream producers of gas-based petrochemicals will position their investment in plants wherever it makes most economic sense. We have to make ourselves attractive to those companies without compromising our national interests in making the best use of our natural resources. A key element of our energy strategy and policy must be how we position and direct the National Gas Company and Petrotrin, the state-owned oil company, both of which have been so badly mis-directed under this administration. As I speak to you now Petrotrin is an economic powder keg surrounded by a chain of careless smokers, chief of whom is an erstwhile “no clue” Minister of Energy. With $100/barrel oil, two years ago, Petrotrin was severely challenged by its debt profile and is now suffering financial market downgrade. Guess what shape the company is in today with a current 25% drop in oil price? This is the 6 billion dollar debt grenade hidden in their books with an eye on the Heritage Fund in 2016. According to the Minister, there is no problem. What we are actually experiencing is copious doses of Government by deception. An early assignment of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy is an examination by the inputs of Government, Business and Labour with appropriate terms of reference for locating Trinidad and Tobago into the new world of markets and investments in energy. A third critical challenge is Dependency. As successive Governments came to enjoy larger revenues deriving from high oil and gas prices, mostly with noble intentions, we have expanded the “stop-gap” programmes along with a raft of welfare support and other programmes which engendered the deep underbelly of chronic dependency we see today in particular sections of the society. Over several decades the subsidies and welfare support also went to the sugar industry without acknowledgement. As Governments expanded their role in the economy through state enterprises and special purpose companies, the dependency spread beyond public works programmes for the urban unemployed and those uneconomically employed in the sugar industry, to contractors and businessmen whose main source of revenue is now Government contracts and who generate no foreign exchange earnings because they export nothing. Too many people, from millionaire to scrunter have become entirely dependent on the state. In fact we now have some CEPEP contracts which have been captured by businessmen who obtain the contracts and make considerable profit from them while providing little or no training or improvements for workers nor any migrating of their companies from the programme. If, and I daresay when oil prices and energy sector revenues collapse, we will not be able to maintain these expenditures and the social consequences might be dire. The fourth major challenge I would like to identify is Corruption. Ours is a society which has long had a reputation for corruption in public life. It was, and remains, a societal problem. But the PNM has always resolutely stood for integrity in public life and disavowed any of its members, in or out of Government, who engage in corrupt practice. Fixing the problem of corruption, which is inimical to economic growth and development, requires not only strong legislation backed up by strong unrelenting law enforcement and prosecution, but also requires training and retraining of persons in public life to recognize ethical issues and discern how they should be dealt with, including of course whistleblowing on offenders whatever their status or position. To this end the PNM has already publicly avowed its intention to enact specific whistleblower legislation and an early draft of a bill to this effect has already been produced for early attention. The fifth national challenge is Competitiveness. I alluded to this earlier in discussing the principle of Productivity. True competitiveness for an economy like ours will come from finding ways and means of addressing the global marketplace with saleable products and services based on sets of skills and abilities which we have accumulated here over the last 50 years. The sixth major challenge is Institutional Breakdown. It is critically important that key institutions in our society not be allowed to break down further. Our politics is partly to blame in that incoming governments seek to populate all institutions over which they have control with only party supporters. Break down occurs when the persons chosen to run these institutions are simply not up to the task. We have seen this most recently with Caribbean Airlines and disastrously at Petrotrin. We are concerned about the Judiciary which is a bulwark of our democracy and which needs to be led and staffed by well-paid, dedicated and competent judicial officers. We are concerned about the Central Bank, the Universities of the West Indies and of Trinidad and Tobago. We are of the view that the Economic Development Board should be a permanent professional organization. Trinidad and Tobago is too small a place and does not have large pools of highly talented individuals to run all of these institutions if the main criterion for selection is a party card or being a drinking partner of the Prime Minister. Indeed we now have too many of these institutions tripping over themselves pretending to carry out some mandate developed by vaps. The seventh major challenge we face is Inequity – in education, health care delivery, and in housing and the delivery of certain social services. We will work to ensure that the principle of Equity is served consistently in the design and implementation of our programmes in these areas in particular. Obviously as challenges are met and new challenges emerge, we will adapt or formulate new policies to meet those challenges. The Policy Framework for the Road Ahead In the weeks ahead we will continue to touch on some broad policies we have formulated in respect of the Economy, Society, Culture, International Relations, Institutional Reform and Constitutional Reform. Value for Money . The PNM administration which will come into office in 2015 will dare to be different! We think that too much of Government expenditure is simply wasted. It is wasted on poorly conceived and improperly designed programmes and policies. We were all appalled at the LifeSport revelations. But LifeSport was merely the tip of the iceberg. WASA is just as shocking and the NGC has become the Government piggy bank. Money is wasted or misallocated in almost every area of Government spending and oftentimes we get little or no value for the expenditure we make. We could find hundreds of millions, just so, to feed crime in Lifesport and inflate contracts to enrich friends but at the same time, our national Women Football team is penniless in a foreign land and the Men’s team have played without pay, match after match. Have we no shame? This simply cannot be allowed to continue. The PNM administration which will come into office next year will be totally focused on Value for Money in the delivery of public goods and services. In this regard we will pursue three initiatives: (1) We will completely overhaul the delivery of social services; (2) We will equip, expand and empower Local Government, that is the regional corporations and borough corporations, to deliver certain public goods and services; the Tobago House of Assembly is already doing so in Tobago and the THA will do even more as it moves toward an agreed form of internal self-government; (3) We will strengthen the systems for accountability within all Ministries for more effective oversight of delivery whether by the private sector, state enterprises, sporting bodies or other NGOs. Economic Policies We will encourage the energy services industry and support its efforts to export services to newer oil and gas producing countries, especially in our region and in Africa. We believe that in order for the local and foreign private sector to establish and grow competitive businesses the Government needs to play some important supporting roles. A PNM Government will drive investment in infrastructure -- transportation -- land, sea and air communications; water, electricity and natural gas. Second, government will ensure, through the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance, that we maintain macro-economic stability. We will ensure that these institutions are led and staffed by persons of the highest calibre and integrity. A completely revamped CSO will be set up as an independent body, adequately, properly staffed with working closely in research activities with the nation’s Universities to produce valuable data for national policy formulation and responses. If Trinidad and Tobago is to develop successfully, we need to have a critical mass of our best and brightest citizens working in industry and in Government. We need scientists, engineers, economists, artists and musicians and film producers. Annually we train hundreds of young people, many of whom remain abroad or return home to dawdle and be frustrated. We need rapid absorption of these resources along with zero tolerance of padded CVs and false certificates. The Tourism and Hospitality Industry will continue to be of particular importance to Tobago. We have to find the model that will work best for a small island with a significant forest reserve and limited large beaches. We will support limited light manufacturing in Tobago which does not adversely impact the islands Eco-system. Infrastructure Development is really the main area where Government can be most effective in contributing to economic growth and development. Investments in infrastructure permit the more efficient movement of people and goods to all parts of the country. A Mass transportation system will not only get you to and from destinations but will enhance productivity, improve land values, open up more of the country to business activity, to housing and internal tourism. Areas capable of development on a planned basis should be developed and the professional plans for doing so must be transparent, environmentally sound and involve real consultation with the communities likely to be affected. The Capital City of the country must however be treated like a capital city. It must be clean, attractive, with green spaces and immune from flooding. As the permanent seat of Parliament and much of Central Government, it must have public spaces and buildings becoming of a capital city. Traffic and parking must be well regulated. The capital city should be home to shopping, entertainment and national celebrations. As a port city, it should attract cruise ship tourism and be open to the exploration of historical sites and the national cultures. While we will support and encourage planned regional development in Trinidad and in Tobago as well as the sensible decentralization of government services, we will continue to invest in the development of the capital city of Port of Spain. The Old Central Library will be renovated and dedicated to house the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Collection currently temporarily lodged at UWI .This priceless legacy alongside City Hall, Woodford Square, the Hall of Justice, The Cathedral, and the Red House will recreate the historical soul and operational centre of a thriving city, a place for business, tourists and scholars alike. A place of which we all can be proud. Social Policies As far as our social policies first and foremost we have to address the problem of Crime and in particular the unacceptably high murder rate. We have to enhance the detection rate as well as the conviction rate. We had begun to build intelligence capability and we had implemented enhanced surveillance of gangs and other criminal activity. Unfortunately, much of what had been built and begun to bear fruit was quickly dismantled by this UNC administration and its abject failure and the consequences of its folly are now evident. In this fight against criminal conduct there is no substitute for helpful social programs and effective Police detection work. Communities will see benefits from gangs wherever there is a sense that there is no hope and there is no future in pursuing an honest days work and embracing decent family values. We have to help these communities restore that hope and envision that future! We may have to do so one household at a time whilst improving the policing and enforcing the law. The public Health System was organised in its current form in the 1960s with the RHAs layered on top of the system in the 1990s. The data tell us that the system is not adequately serving the needs of the population. We simply have to acknowledge that the health system is not producing the outcomes that we want and need and it has to be reformed. The inadequacies of the public health system has led to the strong growth of private hospitals catering for those who can afford their services on their own or through private health insurance. Properly licensed private health care will continue to play a part in health care delivery, not least because it gives the consumer choice. But the standard of health care delivery at primary and secondary care institutions has to improve and this will require some changes in the working arrangements and compensation packages for health care workers Similarly in the Education Sector, we have been placing emphasis on the throughput of the education system and not on the outcomes of the education process for the children subjected to it. Our failure to change indicates that the system works for some. But it certainly does not work for the majority of our children. . We have to redesign our education system so that there is equality of opportunity, that recognises individual abilities, gifts and disabilities and caters to these differences as far as our resources permit. It should be Education for all, each according to his/her own talent and potential, each according to his /her needs. . The responsibility lies on each one of us and our communities. It does not lie wholly and entirely on the Government. This is because Government has limited resources and capacity to deal with certain issues and because the range and number of issues to be addressed has expanded and continues to grow almost beyond our means. We would have meaningful discussions and widespread consultation on a National Citizenship Programme which could take the form of a voluntary programme for teenagers 13 to 19 years carried out mainly during the Long Vacation and which might involve Parenting, community projects, sponsored by NGOs or private sector firms. The objectives of the programme would be to foster civic pride, cultural understanding, respectful behaviours by active participation in projects under appropriate guidance. It has come to be expected that Government will provide support for all kinds of artistic and cultural endeavours. But without clear criteria, government support could be viewed as discriminatory or inequitable. In a society which is sometimes hyper sensitive about who gets what and how much, we will seek to craft a policy for the support of Arts and Culture which is clear and all embracing. CARICOM Sadly, in international affairs, we have lost our way under the frequent embarrassments of the UNC administration . Nepotism, political maladministration and incompetence have combined to tarnish our foreign service and the country’s image. A PNM administration will work assiduously on repairing and strengthening CARICOM leadership, beginning with assigning a top level diplomat as our CARICOM ambassador. It took almost a month for a Trinidad and Tobago request for a Caricom meeting on Ebola to materialize, a call that came long after we had taken questionable unilateral action. It is odd that we established an embassy in Beijing without inviting those CARICOM countries with diplomatic relations with China to share the embassy, its staffing and the cost, since we all have an interest in building relations with China on a common platform. Institutional Reforms I mentioned earlier in this address the importance of ensuring that our key institutions work properly and well. This is important in achieving Equity. When institutions dont work, people are motivated to achieve their aims by crooked means. . Everywhere, weak and inefficient institutions induce corrupt behaviour. We have to focus on getting systems and processes, particularly in the public sector, to work effectively and fairly. . It is clear, for example, that the work of an MP should be full time. The new standing orders recently introduced in Parliament, and supported fully by the PNM provide for an expanded role for strong oversight Committees in scrutinizing the work of the Executive. Parliament should have a budget and sufficient control over its expenditure consistent with its role which has evolved over time. The same is true of the Judiciary. We will introduce the Revenue Authority in order to improve tax collection and administration. . It requires new systems and processes to ensure that the Government maximises revenue collections. A final area of institutional reform will be finding a mechanism for meaningful Tripartite Consultations among the Government, the local and foreign Private Sector organizations and the representative organisations of the Trade Unions. Industrial relations and occupational health and safety are of course important issues to be on the agenda. Constitution Reform The final sets of reforms, and among the most important are reforms to the Constitution. Our position remains that the Republican Constitution of 1976 has served us well. It is also our position that a Constitution is not something to be trifled or experimented with. It is the fundamental law of the land that speaks to how we as a people have decided to conduct the affairs of the State. Reform may be required and when it is seen to be needed, we need to bring the best possible minds to the task, led by independent persons, not Cabinet Ministers or leaders of failed political parties. There needs to be the widest possible consultation undertaken after proper analysis and ventilation of the issues so the public understands what it is rejecting and what it is getting. We will embark on that process immediately on getting into office so that there is enough time for the consultation, analysis and debate to take place before the reforms go to Parliament. As a political party, all I would wish to indicate at this time are the areas where we identify for reform of the Constitution as required. These are: • Internal Self Government for Tobago and the nature of the Unitary State of Trinidad and Tobago. • Abolition of appeals to the Privy Council and instituting the CCJ as our final appellate court • The role and functions of the Service Commissions • Appointment of Commissioner of Police • The role and functions of the Salaries Review Commission • The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the exercise of prosecutorial authority in relation to white collar crime • Electoral System Reform • Clarification of the Role and Powers of The President Of the Republic. When this Constitution Reform process has been initiated, the PNM will make its full contribution through meaningful participation in these and any other issues for reform raised by the national community. Our Vision for Trinidad and Tobago What does all of this add up to? What kind of society does the PNM envision for Trinidad and Tobago? What do we create if and when we implement this policy framework, this menu of policies? What we envision and aspire to is a society that is Diverse but Inclusive. History has endowed us with a heterogeneous population, of many varied races as the words of one of our national songs proclaim. Our diversity is not a source of division and conflict, as it is in so many other societies, but a source of strength because of our practice of inclusiveness, mutual respect and tolerance. We see a society that is at once Productive and Caring. Productivity and efficiency are not incompatible with generosity and caring. My getting ahead does not mean that you must be left behind. We envisage a society that is Disciplined but also not rigid. Our penchant for playfulness, for enjoying ourselves, for liming, for feteing and Carnival is legendary. It is a hallmark of the jovial national character. But equally we will become known as a people who when at work are focused and disciplined, who treat public goods and the environment with respect. We aspire to be Developed so that we enjoy high incomes, good infrastructure, and systems that work. But we also aspire to be Heritage Preserving, so that we do not destroy but preserve our historical sites and heritage buildings and each generation leaves behind some significant mark for the next generation. Our built environment must have statues of our heroes, well sign-posted roads and highways named after those who have done us proud. There must be place markers of important events, so that our children come to know their history and learn to respect and celebrate achievement and service. Finally we want to continue to be Dynamic -- culturally rich, artistically vibrant -- the place in this region which is noted for the richness of its cultural tapestry and the vibrancy of its Arts. We believe this is achievable, with policies that are people-centered and just as important, leadership that is principled. And it is here, on the question of principle that I want to end, just as I began when I outlined the PNMs core principles. There are many differences between ourselves and the UNC. There are differences of policy but more important there are significant differences of principle! I have outlined the six (6) principles which underpin our policy framework:- • Morality in Public Affairs • Personal Responsibility • Equity • Productivity • Generosity: Being Our Brothers Keeper; Our Environments Protector • Subsidiarity The UNC might wish to lay claim to being principled. But their deeds and actions in Government give the lie to any such claim. If the UNC in Government wants to make a claim to principle-centered leadership it must explain: • How Section 34 came to be passed and how it came to be proclaimed • How Reshmi Ramnarine came to be appointed Director of the SSA • How persons with bogus CVs and qualifications were appointed to the boards of several state enterprises • Why Jack Warner was allowed to retain his position as FIFA Vice President while serving as a Government Minister….now he is the devil incarnate. • Why despite a firm commitment and a moral obligation to review, the Armstrong report was ignored and work continued on the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the highway to Penal* • Why the Constitution Amendment bill, with a controversial “run off” provision that was never the subject of consultation, was rushed and rammed through Parliament in the vacation period and which changes the electoral system by a simple majority • Why a state of emergency was declared and persons detained with no justification • Why 60 Ministers in a term of Government One error might be forgiven as a misstep. But when you keep misstepping, then what we are really seeing a fundamental character flaw, one that many commentators and at least one high court judge have described with words like insincerity, duplicity, untrustworthy. The population did not know it then, but that is the kind of leadership which was foisted on us in May 2010. But this is about to change. The electorate has wised up to the character of the UNC regime. Those who would continue to give the UNC their vote know full well they will be supporting insincerity, duplicity and untrustworthiness. If those are the values you prefer, then vote accordingly! The COP supporters now know that the UNC in Government cannot be trusted restrained by any coalition agreement nor constrained by morality and the nation’s expectation of good governance. Where is the COP supporter of good conscience to go, even if there is a “run off” in his/her constituency? COP supporters with the right set of principles and values would know what choice to make. All these draft policies which I have touched on and which have been subjected to rigorous discourse by our party’s delegates at an earlier Convention and summed up here today by Vice Chairman Imbert, will be posted on the party’s website for full access and critique, by the national community we pledge to serve. We aim to have them there in the coming days and there will be a period of two months during which any citizen, so moved, can comment upon what we have put forward. We will distribute our positions widely to several national bodies such as the Chambers of Commerce, the Manufacturers Assoc., the Energy Chamber, the Labour Movement, student bodies etc . Subsequent to this period of scrutiny we will take your valuable comments into serious consideration and refine our positions in readiness for contesting a General Election destined to change the face of things to come in this country. Change is coming!!! The choice for the electorate whenever the election is called is clear. They can be willfully blind to the UNCs arbitrary, destructive vi key vie policies and misfeasance in office and vote for them again. Or they can say No more. No more incompetence No more nepotism and favouritism No more corruption; no more wastage of taxpayers money; no more insincerity and deception; no more lack of vision; no more missteps; no more mismanagement of foreign exchange; no more false CVs and bogus qualifications; no more cushy jobs in state enterprises for unqualified friends and family; no more Constitutional Amendments that are designed for partisan advantage; no more neglect of the Judiciary! No more playing political games with the Police No more lies!! No More of this pernicious UNC government, to be consigned forever to the rubbish heap of our political history. No more Government by deception!! On this occasion all that is left for me to do is name my Assistants. Deputy Political Leader (Tobago) Mr Orville London Deputy Political Leader (Legislative) Ms Marlene McDonald Deputy Political Leader ( Policy) Mr Rohan Sinanan Deputy Political Leader (Party) Mrs Joan Yuille-Williams GREAT IS THE PNM !!!!!! and we shall prevail
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 01:07:24 +0000
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