By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE 182-page People’s National Movement (PNM) manifesto is nothing but “blah”, says Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The PNM manifesto launched by Prime Minister Stuart Young on Wednesday was nothing but empty or broken promises, she said.
Persad-Bissessar told supporters at a United National Congress (UNC) community meeting in Las Lomas on Saturday night that Government was just gaslighting and mamaguying the population.
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The UNC political leader said, “That document is merely another blueprint of the PNM’s serial pattern of repeated and broken promises. This manifesto of theirs, you know what it is, it’s blah, blah, blah…it’s just blah.”
She continued, “Over 90 per cent of the matters listed in their summary initiatives, the 25, are repeated and broken promises copied and pasted from their 2015 and 2020 election manifestos.”
The manifesto also contradicted failed policies, Persad-Bissessar added.
She said, “Several of these 2025 promises ignore the fact that the PNM reversed significant gains made by the former UNC Government 2010-2015, under my tenure as Prime Minister which is a clear example of the PNM’s age-old gaslighting technique.”
Persad-Bissessar again mentioned the proposal to cut pensions.
“Most dangerously, some of promises as I say contradict their own actions in the past 10 years. Some of them are just laughable, given the PNM’s dismal track record in fighting crime. And most dangerously, some of those promises are blatant untruths,” she said.
The PNM has consistently failed to deliver on over 90 per cent of its promises despite spending over half a trillion dollars in ten years, Persad-Bissessar said.
She said research conducted especially during budget period showed that 490 budget promises were made in the past ten years.
“The total number of broken budget promises over this period is 373, and the total number of broken repeated budget promises is 100,” Persad-Bissessar said.
“That manifesto will take you no where further or better off in the next five years. This latest PNM manifesto is nothing short of a desperate election gimmick, cobbled together in a last-ditch attempt to prevent their massive election defeat at the polls.”
She listed out several questions that needed to be asked if there was any doubt.
Persons should ask about the promised, plywood factory, Sandals resort, Toco highway, Dragon Gas deal, Toco Port and La Brea dry docks to name a few.
Persad-Bissessar said the UNC was offering plans and policies to put money in people’s pockets.
She mentioned two areas of improvement should the UNC win the General Election.
One was for the assistance to social media users and content creators Creative Content Development Fund to provide loans for aspiring content creators to access equipment, training, and mentorship programmes.
This, in addition to creating fair policies for legitimately recognising earnings generated through online platforms under financial rules, thus enabling access to banking services and government incentives.
The other was the regulated large-scale cultivation of cannabis.
Cannabis should be cultivated the same as sugar cane and cocoa
Outlining from the UNC’s “mini-festo” on cannabis cultivation, Persad-Bissessar said the UNC will implement a comprehensive framework to regulate large-scale cultivation, agro-processing, and export cannabis, which are essential for unlocking this industry’s full economic potential.
She said the global cannabis market was projected to exceed US $100 billion by 2030, with demand spanning medical marijuana, oils and edibles.
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“For Trinidad and Tobago, this represents an opportunity to position marijuana or hemp as an agricultural product akin to sugarcane or cocoa where small farmers can participate alongside larger entities in cultivation or agro-processing,” Persad-Bissessar said.
A regulated marijuana industry was an extension of agricultural policy aimed at economic diversification, she said.
Persad-Bissessar also said, “This is not about encouraging recreational use but creating an organised sector that benefits farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors while adhering to international standards.”
She said the Cannabis Control Authority Bill will be implemented to establish a commercial cultivation, agro-processing, and export licensing framework.
