By Chantalé Fletcher
POLITICAL leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the People’s National Movement (PNM) has created an economic pandemic for this country.
She was speaking at the party’s virtual report on Monday evening.
Persad-Bissessar said, “We continue to call for a commission enquiry into measurement of the Covid pandemic,” which she described left citizens “helpless and hopeless’ under this PNM Government.
The Opposition Leader said, “How do Rowley and Imbert expect people to survive without any income?
“When citizens are still waiting for their promised salary relief grants.”
She said, “PNM has no recovery plan, and while this is happening, there is no economic recovery plan.
“For months, businesses have remained stagnant. But they all have rents, loans and mortgages to pay. You have not given them a single incentive or lifeline to survive. How are they expected to keep people employed?” Persad-Bissessar questioned.
However, the Opposition Leader revealed that the UNC has a plan for recovery and growth post-COVID.
She declared, “The UNC is prepared and ready to take over the management of Trinidad and Tobago right now!”
Referring to May 4, 2020, Persad-Bissessar said, “I presented our plan in which we put forward five economic-booster shots for resilient recovery and growth which were to reduce the tax burden, jumpstart food security, restart a reformed oil refinery to regain fuel security, and invest in renewable energy.”
She highlighted the importance of securing food resources. “The pandemic will disrupt the global food supply chains, making it very difficult to move food from the world’s breadbaskets to the places where the food is to be consumed.”
Persad-Bissessar added that the UNC placed agriculture and food security at the center of our economic recovery plan.
In addition, Persad-Bissessar added that there must be a jumpstart to our agriculture sector by leasing 25,000 acres of former Caroni lands to create agricultural parks.
The Opposition Leader said another economic booster is for the government to invest in renewable energy.
She said, “The UNC proposed initiatives in renewable energy and recycling such as the establishment of a solar energy park at Tamana and industrial recycling parks across the East-West corridor.”
