- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 30/Jun 19:33

Panday: Empty promises will not bring success

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) political leader Mickela Panday says government will not achieve any success from "empty promises, blame games, or race-baiting." In a Facebook post on June 27, Panday said the PF wanted the government to succeed because if it failed, the people would suffer. "The election is over, now you (UNC) hold the reins of power. Now is the time to implement the election promises. The people of Trinidad and Tobago deserve more than spin and social media." Panday said while government was successful in getting the House of Representatives to approve $3.1 billion in supplementary funding to the 2024/2025 budget recently, questions remain. She added those questions included government "telling the country where the money is coming from, or how it will be repaid." Panday said because TT was no longer an oil-based economy, "we cannot depend on war-driven oil spikes to solve our long-term problems." Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal hinted in the House last week, TT could benefit from increased global oil prices with respect to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Panday was concerned the public debt had increased to approximately $142 billion or 73 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). "Disappointingly, instead of facing this crisis head-on, the government plans to run an additional $5.5 billion deficit by borrowing even more." During the recent general election campaign, Panday urged the population to seek real change and not exchange from one political party to another. She said, "This isn’t change, it is beginning to feel like exchange." Panday added the people "deserve a government that puts country before party, and people before politics." The post Panday: Empty promises will not bring success appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.