By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE revoked licence of the Dragon gas deal is a national, economic and geopolitical crisis.
This is according to political leader of the Patriotic Front Mickela Panday who said citizens deserve to know the truth.
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“The truth is that this government through diplomatic complacency and strategic naïveté placed our future in the hands of powers they could neither negotiate with nor influence. They bet our nation’s future on the shifting winds of global politics and today we are the ones paying the price,” she said in a video statement on Wednesday.
Panday said the Dragon gas deal was not just a gas project but a lifeline for Trinidad and Tobago.
She said, “What we have lost is not just gas, we have lost time, leverage and trust.”
Panday said Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Stuart Young failed to understand a critical principle of geopolitics.
She said, “You do not build your energy future on the fragile permission of global superpowers without preparing for what happens when their interests change.”
Panday further asked where were the contingency plans, alternative strategies and the required leadership.
Labelling herself as the future prime minister, she said she will act immediately and lead a diplomatic mission to the United States to meet directly with the US President Donald Trump administration not as a supplicant but as a partner.
She said, “I will present a new vision for this country, one that expands our partnerships beyond fragile waivers and towards sustainable diversified energy diplomacy. One that aligns our energy sector with democratic allies, investment-grade deals and innovation-led growth.”
Panday said now was the time for a leadership fighting to protect national interests.
“I will not stand by. I will not let this country spiral into energy poverty. I will not allow another generation of our children to inherit empty plants, dwindling reserves and a nation that missed its moment,” she promised.
Panday said the issue required more than outrage, it required action, resolve and courage.
