Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is warning that thousands of public servants and law enforcement officers may be out of a job as the Government seeks to reduce expenditure by $3 billion this year.
Speaking at the United National Congress’ Monday Night Forum at the Mc Bean Hindu Primary School, Couva, Persad-Bissessar said the plan was contained in Moody’s Investor Service comments on the Government’s mid-year budget review that was published last Friday.
Reading the comments, Persad-Bissessar said, “Further spending reductions could materialise during the rest of the year as the Government plans to cut $3 billion from public salaries this year.”
The issuer comments stated that the budget review signalled benefits from higher oil prices, but that fiscal challenges remain sizeable. The report also stated that while Government maintained its fiscal deficit estimate of 5.8 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, it was higher than the intended target of 3.9 per cent. Central Government operations resulted in deficit of approximately $5.4 billion for the first half of 2017, $1.5 billion more than the official forecast.
She said with 25,000 jobs already lost under the PNM’s governance, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley should fire himself if his Government planned to send home public servants.
“Who are you going to fire? Are you going to fire police officers, Defence Force officers, public servants in the ministries? How are you going to get a cut of $3 billion? It is mind boggling. $3 billion in the next half of this year, cut from where, public salaries? I call on the Government to please clarify and tell us how you are going to cut salaries of $3 billion.”
Stressing that the Government has mismanaged the country’s accounts, she said the UNC has already established an economic recovery. She also called on the Integrity Commission to investigate Government’s recruitment of US lobbyist firm the Group DC, saying there was a questionable procurement process. She said the Government has already spent US $600,000 for the firm to carry out 10 meetings, four of which were held with a Democratic congressman, four held with a Democratic congressional aide and two held with a CEO of a company called CAGE. She said CAGE is seeking to become the première gaming provider in the Caribbean and Latin America by providing online gambling services.
“So this lobbyist firm brings another lobbyist firm to lobby our Government to bring video lottery terminals into Trinidad and Tobago. This is really shameful,” she said.
