By Alicia Chamely
TRINIDAD and Tobago became a nation of grass cutters under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.
This was the sentiment of Prime Minister Kalma Persad-Bissessar as she discussed government employment programmes on Tuesday night at her Siparia constituency’s Pre-Budget consultations.
Persad-Bissessar criticised the previous government for abusing these programmes and failing to create more and promote existing job training programmes to advance the citizenry.
“How long do you want to be cutting grass for?” the prime minister asked the crowd.
She said, “You know that is what those programmes did? We have become a nation of grass cutters under the PNM.”
Persad-Bissessar said, “No, this is not a joke. So, the CEPEP cutting grass, the URP cutting grass, Reforestation cutting grass when they were supposed to be planting trees. The Regional Corporations cutting grass, HDC is cutting grass, NGC is cutting, so all the people in our country…grass cutters!”
She admitted that she understood people, even some of her constituents, were unhappy about the decisions made by her government to pause the Community Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and the Reforestation Programme.
Persad-Bissessar made it clear she was not against these programmes, but they needed to be assessed and reformatted to prevent over-reliance and criminality.
She said, “We talked about the CEPEP, maybe tonight is not the time for that full disclosure, but I can say I am very much against the whole stopping of the CEPEP, the URP and Reforestation.”
Persad-Bissessar said, “Many of you, my constituents and elsewhere, you were just hoping to replace.”
She added, “Look at what you want, gangs. You really want gangs?”
Persad-Bissessar said the goal of the government was to remove the influence of criminals within the employment programmes, especially within the CEPEP.
On their decision to terminate contracts and put the programme on pause while assessments were being done, she said, “It’s not that we are vicious, it’s not that we are racist….I cannot in good conscience continue that programme.”
