By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE closure of the Petrotrin refinery is the reason why citizens now have to pay higher fuel prices even as they face rising costs of food and other amenities.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in a response to the Government’s announcement of the increase in the price of fuel on Friday said the economy was being destroyed further.
She blamed Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for not doing enough to ease the financial burden on the population.
In Parliament, Finance Minister Colm Imbert stated the price for premium and super gasoline would be increased by $1 and diesel by fifty cents which was still lower than the market prices and would require more than $800 million in subsidies.
In a press release on Friday, Persad-Bissessar said, “At a time when Governments around the world are going the extra mile to preserve jobs, businesses and livelihoods, this Rowley administration has made it their mission to completely destroy our economy and make citizens’ lives harder.
“The increase in fuel prices will increase the cost of goods and services across the board. Over one hundred thousand jobs were lost under this government, and no government plan has been forthcoming to create jobs or generate revenue. With food prices likely to increase further with this fuel price hike, there is also no government plan to ensure our nation’s food security.”
The Opposition Leader claimed, “The Minister’s attempt to delink the shutdown of the Petrotrin refinery by Keith Rowley, to the now prohibitively high prices of fuel signals a level of disdain for the population. It is known throughout our nation that Petrotrin was closed to save Rowley’s personal friend that was involved in the now infamous 100 million Fake Oil Scandal. The entire nation is now footing the bill for Rowley’s self-serving actions. Through Rowley’s actions, our country surrendered our energy security and ceded control over setting our own fuel prices.”
Once global prices decrease, pump prices should do same
The Opposition’s shadow minister of Energy, Member of Parliament for Pointe-a-Pierre David Lee also issued a press release with similar statements.
He said, “Had the Petrotrin refinery been operating, the nation would have been earning millions of dollars in revenue, allowing the government to finance the subsidy and cushion citizens from high global prices.”
Lee further said, “The UNC is calling on the Minister of Finance to tell the population if this is a permanent feature or would we be hit by further increases as oil prices increase. We are calling on the Government to commit that as soon as global prices decrease, prices at the pump will also decrease.”
