Unrevised Hansard-6th Sitting (2017-2021)

Motion

TOBAGO HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 The House met at 10.00 a.m.

PRAYERS [MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER in the Chair] PRIVATE BUSINESS MOTION BUDGET STATEMENT DEBATE 2017/2018

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER:

Members, we will now resume the

debate from the Motion that was adjourned last Thursday.

Minority Leader.

MR. WATSON DUKE [Minority Leader]:

Madam Presiding Officer,

Assemblymen, Councillors from both the Executive Council and the Minority Council; I would say Public Officers who have worked hard and

2 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. long in this Debate and Estimates; and also to the group of persons, who now make up the viewing public, whether be it through You tube, on the Radio and in the Public Gallery.

It is with a type of joy, I come to this House today, to rebut what I will call a very “sickening and painful vision” of 2018 based on the Draft Estimates of Expenditure and Revenue that my dear friend, Member for Bacolet/Mt. St. George would have offered to us last week Thursday. I will say to him here and now, that a Committee should be formed to go through those Draft Estimates. Lots of question arise from what you have presented.

It would be referred to me, as the “huff and puff and fluff” Budget. A lot of hot air, little substance, reminds me of the Styrofoam Debate they once brought in here.

Ninety-five percent (95%) hot air, five percent (5%)

substance, that too needs to be banned from this Honourable House.

Madam Presiding Officer, I recognized that there is violence in the Chamber today.

I want to ask you to please restrain the Member from

Black Rock/Whim/Spring Garden from verbally attacking in my presence as a witness the Member from Black Rock/Whim/Spring Garden. But that is what happens when you hire an old School teacher. He sees you all as students, and I flogged you all at any point in time. That is what happens.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Mr. Duke can you get back to the debate please?

3 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

MR. W. DUKE: It is part of my debate Madam Presiding Officer.

I was looking for a Budget Madam Presiding Officer, a Budget that was well thought out; a budget that had a strategic plan that would take us from where we are to the period 2030. Yes! We were hoping that their PreBudget Survey and Consultation would have included ordinary folks from the street, from the market, from the quarry, housewives, taxi-drivers even those persons who drives the white bread vans or the panel vans trying to make a dollar. But no! No! Their Pre-Budget Survey was done among a few. A special interest group who think to themselves they have the answers and they are the panacea to all the problems in Tobago.

I dare go on to say that my friend, the Member for Bacolet/Mt. St. George, the Secretary of Finance and the Economy, he was so bold in his position that he pointed all of us, saying to us, that their Draft Estimates came from the People’s National Movement (PNM) Manifesto 2017. Bold enough to say that. Then he went on to speak about a defunct non-existent Comprehensive Economic Development Plan for Tobago 2.0. As if he was speaking from the side of his mouth, he whispered from a Survey – PreBudget Survey. He failed to present us clear strategic objectives that will take us from where we are, to where we need to be.

Not only did he

carry the Budget with such looseness that you could hardly gather anything from him.

4 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, he also misrepresented important facts, that would give this nation the impression that Tobago is doing well. While the rest of the world or the Caribbean is stumbling, Tobago has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that has been growing from since 2011 at three percent (3%) per year to 2016. I will debunk that! As a matter of fact, I will take my time in debunking that because I want you all to understand something. The facts is out there. It is no secret. These are not the dark ages.

Am I hearing someone disturbing me Madam? Could you please advise the Members on that side that when I am speaking they ought to keep quiet in accordance with the Standing Orders. Do I need to point that out to someone here? Why don't you take a page from the Minority Council we were deadly silent last week while you all spoke. No one murmured, all of a sudden you do not want no one to hear what you all have done.

Let me tell you what the Secretary for Finance did last week, and I want to get it from his book.

I must say, you all have these crafty ways of

coming up with these titles - "Unleashing the Creative and Productive Capacity of our People." Sounds like “unleashing the dragon” - like a movie.

I do not know why you all do not get real and get serious in this

modern day and age "Unleashing!" Is it damned up somewhere, where is it?

Have you spend time schooling our people, developing their mental faculties, their skills and their resources of this island so that at this point in time you could unleash it? What is there to unleash?

5 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

But let me go to the point where I want to speak to you about when you made some statements. I tried to read this book [Indicating] again last night before I sleep and I got nightmares. I must admit that.

One of the first things I want to debunk is the fact that you are saying eighty-five percent (85%) of the daily paid.

(I must acknowledge the

workers here from the Studley Park Quarry, you are very much interested in Budget Debate I must say and what goes on with the Quarry and the rest of this country. So, I want to acknowledge them there and the other people who are there) He said eighty-five percent (85%) on page 8 of his so-called, “Draft Estimates.”

Eighty-five percent (85%) of all daily rated employees have migrated to the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system resulting in timely payments. This ACH system as you call it, is not a new system.

I recall in January, people from the quarry, people from URP, people from all over Tobago, as late as last month, people were quarrelling about not receiving their pay.

I will want the Honourable Secretary, the Member for Black Rock/ Whim/Spring Garden, Chief Secretary when he stands after my two (2) hours, that he must give an answer to this. Why is it that persons were receiving late salaries? Why is that? Answer the question why? Is it

6 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. because of this ACH System? I know that checkers are very sharp and diligent with their duties.

I use to be a Checker in the year 1994 and I understood then that when you are doing a sheet there was no mistakes to be made on it and those sheets have a date to prepare and a date to conclude. I know that. It was very diligent. Persons used to be paid on time. How come all of a sudden that with your discovery rather of ACH there is money in the Bank all of a sudden?

If you have no money there is nothing to pay and as long as you keep getting money from Trinidad, month to month you cannot pay your debts.

But I understand why Trinidad give you all month to month salary, I understand that - bad management.

Madam Presiding Officer, I say to you, do not use the ACH system as if it was some “magic bullet” and once it fires off everyone gets pay. If there is no money in the Bank the ACH does not work. That is it. Instead of spending time telling us how they are going to supplement the meagre revenues that comes from Trinidad by way of transfers they spend time telling us about technology - ACH. Trying to blind us thinking that people will say, alright ACH we are getting pay now. ACH does not translate into pay it requires money.

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He did not stop there he made a boast on Thursday saying on page 9 "Although development can be measured in various ways, by any yardstick, any fair-minded person looking at Tobago over the last sixteen (16) years or so will undoubtedly conclude that the island has done exceedingly well." He said that and I felt sick when he said that. Because if “well” means there is no boat from Trinidad and Tobago - reliable transportation, then I must be unwell. If “well” means that you cannot book a ticket today for today you have to book for quite next week if you want to travel today and hope to get on standby then I must be unwell.

I definitely do not understand why is it that a quarry that is a gold mine is being given to private hands and I will come to that in a while again.

He said anybody, any fair-minded person will say that when speaking about development. But I want to tell him that knowledge is out there and when you speak about development of any nation you speak about three things which you try to speak about - made mention of after. The three things you speak about Madam Presiding Officer, is the economic development of our country.

If we are talking about development of Trinidad and Tobago and I would take my time no big words I am going to use, keep it simple you have two (2) hours to use when we speak about the development of our country we speak primarily about three things: (1) economic development. Can the country sustain itself, can Tobago sustain itself if there is development, the first yardstick and is a big word they use for that called, “GDP - Gross

8 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Domestic Product.” What it simply means and we are not talking about per capita we are talking about Gross Domestic Product based on current market prices and this maybe a “highfalutin” language so I will break it down for you. What it means if you were to sell all the goods and services in Tobago for a particular year the amount of money you receive after doing that would be the Gross Domestic Product based on current market prices.

So in other words, when they look at it for 2011 my good friend there the Secretary for Finance quoted a figure.

He said in 2011 the Gross

Domestic Product based on market prices was valued at one point six, six billion dollars ($1.66b.). Which means all our goods, all our services when we sell them would amount to that. Well, those figures were not quoted from any source and I believe they came from the top of his head or from a little side bar meeting somewhere in Pigeon Point you know where they hang out down there somewhere down there they were hanging out and maybe the figure came up and it sound good and he went on to tell a massive untruth stating that from 2011 to 2016 where the Gross Domestic Product based on current market prices was one point eight six billion dollars ($1.86b.) there was actually a growth in Tobago's economic GDP or economic position. He was saying that our position grew by almost three percent (3%) every single year. Now, that sounds fantastic. That sounds very fantastic! Imagine that, no boat. Diane Hadad, Chamber of Commerce saying the “economy crash” and they are saying, our economy is growing.

People cannot get cement, construction at an all-time low, save and except for what their friends are building and they are saying that the economy is

9 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. growing. Shops are being closed all around the country; they are saying that the economy is growing. I want to tell the Secretary of Finance, Madam Presiding Officer, that your figures for 2011 are wrong. Alright! The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2011 and I will quote it for you, based on the Central Statistics Office: National Economic Accounts Division, Gross Domestic Product of Tobago 2010 and 2011.” Have you ever read that book? Have you ever read that at all? Listen what it says here, “When coming to Gross Domestic Product for that year [Illustrating] 2011, was two point six one billion dollars ($2.61b.)” a much larger figure than the one he put forward in the House here. Get your notes. I quote it for you. Where it came from?

I will quote my source again.

Central Statistics Office,

National Economic Accounts Division, Gross Domestic Product for Tobago 2010 and 2011, at market current prices, millions of dollars, they put everything in millions of dollars. The last thing on that page my friend, is Gross Domestic Product. Alright! For 2010, it was two point two billion dollars ($2.2b.) and for 2011 the figures you are interested in, it was two point six one billion dollars ($2.61b.). But you came to this House, with a fictitious figure, the thing just made me feel sick. One point six billion dollars ($1.6b.) you gave us. Why are you trying to cut the ability of Tobago to make money? Why are you trying to cut it? Why? To make yourself look good, to say to the nation that the economy grew between 2011 and 2016 at three percent (3%). Well, anybody could do this maths. If in 2011, (I am going to send it to you, I am going to WhatsApp it to you my friend Joel Jack, I have your phone number I am going to WhatsApp it to you when I take my seat, but hold on for the while, pay attention, the teacher is in class.

10 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, let us do the maths together today. I am in no rush; I must correct errors when I see it) in 2011the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) according to current market prices was at two point six one billion dollars ($2.61b.) and in 2016 there is a decline of one point eight six billion dollars ($1.86b.) then it means to me, and anybody who can add and subtract, that the GDP fell at approximately four point seven percent (4.7%) on a yearly basis. Now, you will get a chance. Hold on! Take it light! The teacher is teaching. When the teacher is teaching pay attention. That is good maths. It is here. The figures are here. I am holding on to his figure for 2016. The figure he gave for 2016 is one point eight six billion dollars ($1.86b.) That is the amount of money that Tobago would have actually made in goods and services, products etcetera - one point eight six billion dollars ($1.86b.) He said that. So, I am holding on to that. But I am querying 2011, based on Central Statistics Office (CSO), I have the data here.

I will send it to you. Do not worry yourself; take it light. You all

must read before you write and before you write, you must speak it into the air to hear if it sounds good because sometimes it is not sounding good, and you know it is not right. So, from 2011, we have two point six one billion dollars ($ 2.61b.), (I am going slowly so that my friends in the gallery can listen) to get to a decrease of one point eight six billion dollars ($1.86b.) in 2016 every year, the economy would have contracted by four point seven percent (4.7%). Now, that is in sync that synchronizes like clockwork when we look at the productive sectors, my friend loves to speak about. They love to use all these big terms, “Productive Sectors”. What do they mean? I take my time, because I am not acclimated as yet I am taking my time with you, I

11 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. do not read like you. You spend whole two (2) hours reading, I got sick. I am not even drinking water.

Madam Presiding Officer, I am so glad you are in the House. When you are in the House I feel protected. They spoke about the Productive Sectors and I will say to you, the Productive Sectors in Tobago are basically three sectors:  Hotels and Guest houses;  Agriculture;  Wholesale and retail stuff.

Now, when you look at that period 2011 to 2016, we would observe the Productive Sector reflecting a similar decline in business. Let us take for example, hotels and guest houses throughout that period, 2011 to 2016 decline by five point four percent (5.4%). The next area to decline was wholesale and retail, that declined by five percent (5%). The other area was agriculture, agriculture declined by four point three percent (4.3%). Now, when you look at all of that and you put an average to it, it more or less looks like the decline we experienced of four point five percent (4.5%) on an annual basis leading to 2016. Instead, they came in here and with a soft voice and an innocent face, as if they were taught by their former boss himself. They said the economy in Tobago is growing three percent (3%) on an annual basis, so many persons losing their work. So many businesses closing down, and the economy growing. No! It is not.

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Let me go further to say, I am shock that my friend, Member for Bacolet Mt. St. George, Secretary of Finance and the Economy, did not take time out to speak about Tobago creating a second line of revenue that is different from the handout from Trinidad. Because with a budget of four point nine billion dollars ($4.9b.), almost five billion dollars ($5b.) in an economy that is well constricted, where are we going with that? There is not even place to pass in this economy, but he is putting a budget of five billion dollars ($5b.).

When I looked at the revenue streams, they gave us a book on that, “Draft Estimates for Revenue. How do you intend to get that five billion dollars ($5b.)? I am looking at it here and I am seeing at best, his revenue streams when put together at best, amounted to some two hundred and twenty-five million dollars ($225m.) at best. Where are we going with that?

Is that how we are going to supplement this Budget here? A budget is about expenditure.

It brings me to a second point. A Budget of two point five billion dollars ($2.5b.) requires a certain type of revenue to be generated. If you can make a Budget of two point five million dollars ($2.5m.) you need to have a certain level of revenue. The likes we have not seen. We need to have a type of revenue like eight point six billion dollars ($8.6b.).

We need to

generate that, if we are going to have a budget of two point five million dollars ($2.5m.). But no, that is not interesting to you that is not important

13 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. to you. All you know is you can make a phone call to Trinidad and you could get something down there.

I watched at my friend on Channels 5 this morning trying to answer the question and he said that there are other sources of revenues that they are going to get. Now where is it? It is not here! Transfers - not here.

For sixteen (16) years they wrote budget after budget, after budget.

For sixteen (16) years all together they had approximately forty billion dollars ($40b.) and they never one day thought about Sustainable Economic Development. They never thought about something that will continue long after the fire is out. They never thought about that.

A very simple thing is planting trees. My mother who is now decease one day came home with a set of trees from Louis D'or Nursery and she began to plant them at the bottom of the hill where we called, "the Bottom" and I said, "Mommy whey you planting them trees they for? She said, "Boi you might not dey round but all yuh will get them to eat, this is food, plant it."

For years before, while I was growing and living at home there was nothing down there but a chenette tree and two mango trees which were very tall then but then, she had a different plan. In her mind, the world will last more than today and so she was thinking about tomorrow.

She planted

14 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. shaddock, mango and a whole number of trees and today, we have a whole orchard down they because she chose to invest in their future today.

I am saying, if by 2030 we are to become self-sufficient there are some investments we need to make today. One of them is the Studley Park Quarry. We need to invest in the Studley Park Quarry.

I say, "We",

meaning the Tobago House of Assembly.

The Quarry is not a place to play with. It is not something to give away, it is not something to experiment with. The Quarry is something to be under the direct charge of Tobago House of Assembly.

One of the reasons China is so successful today is because they practice what is called, "A Command Economy."

I will break it down for

my colleagues in the audience and for those who are listening. A "Command Economy" comes from the word, "command" that they take charge of their economy.

In China, they ensure that every single person gets employment.

Something like the THA (Tobago House of Assembly) is trying to do but without the proper research they are attempting to do that.

In China they take charge of every single productive area in the economy that can bring in revenue - everything, they take charge of that.

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The Government, they take charge of that. In some economies is a mixed economy where they practice both command and free economy.

I heard the Secretary of Finance said that we are in a "Free Economy" which means in a free economy everything falls and where it drop it stop, “where it hang it swing.” “That is a "Free Economy."

So, in this free

economy the prices of anything is determined between the seller and the buyer.

This is why the Rent Assessment Board has no place again in our economy, even though it is a law that governs the Rent Assessment Board that says, “Persons must not advantage a tenant etcetera.” Folks, this is why Prices, Weights, Measures and Control are no longer able to control prices out there.

As a youth man people from the Government Services use to be outside checking prices and say, "Look bring that down." It ensures that every person can eat, it ensures that it is a balanced playing field but they create an open economy and whatever price they set, whatever price you pay that is the price. So every week the businessmen are carrying their prices up.

Could you imagine, the Studley Park Quarry where you could now get a whole load - what is the price for a load again? About five hundred/six hundred dollars ($500/600)? I remember the Chief Secretary saying the

16 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. price. What is the price again, five hundred dollars ($500.00) for a whole load - you could imagine that - place it into private hands.

In 2011, a former Member of this House, a former colleague of the Secretary of Finance who was not even Secretary then, his name is Gary Melville that is a man who I lost in the sunset of yesterday. He told the media, he told Tobago, it is on the THA Website, when he said that the Quarry can make one hundred and twenty million dollars ($120m.) per year.

That is 2011. [Desk thumping] He was further speaking about developing the little pier, the little jetty they have in Studley Park so barges can come from any part of the world they could sell it back. At the end of his statement he said that they will not privatize the Quarry they will leave it in the hands of the THA (Tobago House of Assembly). They said that, it is there check it. It is there on your website but you all do not read.

I blame you all for that - misquoting

figures, misquoting events now they are trying to read now. Look for it on your website. The 11th January, 2011 he said that.

Now I read somewhere again where the kind of volcanic rocks that are in the quarry they are only two (2) places in the world apart from Tobago that that can be found. It cannot be found nowhere in Trinidad - yes and it can only be found in Nova Scotia in Canada and the Dominican Republic.

Learn something the Teacher in the House.

So it is something to be

treasured. They can call it "diamond" we have it here.

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We have a Prime Minister who in 1996, when he came up here to check it out said it is nothing but overburden, rotten rock. That is how he classified it - he dismissed it - rotten rock, overburden. He is no Geologist – “quack” - your masters on that side is a “quack Geologist.” [Interruption] HON. CHIEF SECRETARY: On a Point of Order, Madam Presiding Officer.

MR. W. DUKE: I called no names, Madam Presiding Officer. Allow me to make my speech please. I am not giving way. [Crosstalk] Quote your Standing Order. I will allow you, I know you cannot take it.

HON. CHIEF SECRETARY: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer, it is known that one is not allowed to make remarks concerning Members of Parliament and so on, it is not allowed. And indeed, he made reference to the Prime Minister, it is clear who the Prime Minister is.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Minority Leader, please be mindful of your speech in going forward.

The Point of Order is accepted.

MR. W. DUKE:

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. I want to advise

my friend in the future when you are quoting Point of Order you quote the

18 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. chapter and the verse please. You no longer run this House. This House is now run by ... [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Minority Leader, you do not run this House either. I am asking you please, to get back to your presentation.

MR. W. DUKE: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer, as I was saying, they beat down the volcanic rock that we had in Studley Park. They make it sound like it was nothing good. Over burden! Then today, they boast about the “diamond” we have there. I say to my good friend, the Secretary of Finance and the economy, Member for Bacolet/Mt. St. George, I say to him why wasn’t revenues from the Quarry placed into the Budget? Why? I ask that question.

If in 2011, the quarry could have made one hundred and

twenty million dollars ($120m.) per year, today, that may have escalated to one hundred and fifty million dollars ($150m.).

But no, they are not

interested in generating revenue to spend; they want to get revenue from private sector. The private sector they are talking about is not here in Tobago it is in Trinidad and beyond. That is what they have been saying on the Television all along. Private sector will help them build house, private sector will help them do this; will help them do that. It sounds to me like they have a Rewards Card for those who supported them. Those who support them they have a reward for them, gave him something. How much money do we intend to generate from the Private Sector, by Grants, by Loans? Nothing is said about that in the budget. Nothing! Are we going to expect Trinidad again to give us four point billion dollars ($4.9 b.) when last

19 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. year the budget was five point three billion dollars ($5.3b.) and they got a “slap in the face” when budget day came, two point three billion dollars ($2.3b.). But the Honourable Secretary of Finance and the Economy did not even have the courtesy, he did not even have the nerve to come back in this House and say what the new budget will now be. He did not. He continues operating with inflated figures and then say, they have no money. I want to say here and now, you see when Budget day come in Trinidad and your masters in Trinidad, say to you that “Hey you have been given this slice of the pie, when the Central Government say to you; you have been given this slice of the pie”.

I want you to come back to this House and say to us in

this House, and say to us in this House how do you intend to use that money, so as to develop Tobago further? Certainly, over the last three (3) years, the average transfer from Trinidad to Tobago was about two point five billion dollars ($2.5b.) but yet you continue to make budgets that are obnoxious, that are unrealistic and sell the people of Tobago dreams.

We have had

enough of those kinds of budgets.

I am asking myself where the Quarry gone? I visited the Quarry last week Thursday, and I saw a number of jobs being advertised Madam Presiding Officer. A number of jobs and I will go to it. “Employment Opportunities Studley Park Enterprise Limited”. Is it the same quarry we are talking about? The quarry that the former Secretary of Works said would remain in Tobago hands? The Quarry that could make, one hundred and twenty million dollars ($120m.) a year. Is it now under some kind of a SP, “Studley Park Enterprise Limited” and it has a Tobago House of

20 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Assembly Logo next to it? Are those jobs gazetted? Is there a structure for that quarry? Did you all consult with the Unions? There is not one Union there, there are two unions there. There is the Daily paid and there is the Monthly paid Union, there is National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and there is Public Services Association (PSA). We are the recognized union also, we share it with NUGFW. NUGFW looks after daily paid, we look after the monthly paid. Haven’t they read the Civil Service Act? Are they aware of the laws that govern this country?

Whensoever the PSA signs an Agreement, with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), regarding terms of employment and conditions of service, it is for all persons in the Central Government in Trinidad, all persons in the statutory authorities and there are few of them which are mentioned in the Act and all persons for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). So, I do not know how come the monthly paid persons in the quarry were not allowed to be represented at all. Their views were not taken into consideration. How come that they could just disregard the rule of law? Which was obstinance as if to say there is no need to consult. I am shock. Here are few of the jobs:  Haulage Supervisor; Aren’t their people doing that work now?  Heavy Equipment Operator; Aren’t their people doing that work now?  Quarry Drill Operator; Aren’t their people doing that work now?  Drill helper; Aren’t their people doing that work now?

21 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.  Cashier Operator;  Sales Clerk; Don’t we have Sales Clerk now?  Stores Assistant;  Business Operation Analyst Aren’t there people doing that work now, or is this a means of terminating employees who have worked long and hard in that quarry, who helped contribute materials whether it be ready-mix, whether it be aggregate, whether it be boulders, whatever, to develop this nation? Are we gonna just wipe them off the map? What is the plan for these persons? If we are talking about Tobago employment level is now under three percent (3%) which is full employment. How do you intend to deal with persons who may be on the breadline according to your mandate?

When I enquired from the Chief Administrator, I said, is this a Government thing? He said, “Almost private”. They do not have to follow the rules. He is sitting behind your back. Do with him whatever you want whatsoever you may do with him. But he is a public officer; I may have to represent him too. [Laughter] Do with him whatever you may, but he is a public officer, and I may have to represent him too. I asked the question are those positions classified by the Chief Personnel Officer. He said no. We do not need that. He said, it is a private thing. They could do what they want.

22 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

He is there, deal with him if you want, I may have to defend him too, and I will defend him. I know how you all are on that side.

Madam Presiding Officer, it worries me that we are speaking full employment for Tobago. In the face of that, they are coming through the back door and they are trying to pull the rug of employment, the rug of stability of financial security from the legs of those who have been standing on it at the Studley Park Quarry for years now. Maybe their life does not matter to you, but you know what, these people in that gallery are human beings too. They are human beings and no Union has the right to just whisk the lives of workers away. No union! There is another time and place I would have behaved in a particular manner, that would have made you rethink your position with urgency. Yes, I would have. But this is the House and I will be honourable today. But understand this, we will not allow you all to throw away that Quarry that can bring revenue that we so need, one hundred and fifty million dollars ($150m.) to this gallery and to this House and to this country. They want to throw it away. So, when we are talking about Economic Development or we are talking about the development status of a country or an island, you must first of all speak about economic development. I want to go one step further.

They are talking about some things that they want to get involved in, “Garment Manufacturing”.

23 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

I understand clearly well that some of my colleagues on the other side are in need of some good garments. But I will say this, for the year 2011, Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimated that there are three (3) key sectors targeted by the THA and Garment Manufacturing produced zero dollars. Were you around, Member for Bacolet/Mt. St. George, were you around? You were not around do not say anything then. You were not around you now come.

But I will say this that was a key sector - Garment Manufacturing on the THA records, that was high but it brought in zero dollars.

The next one was Agro-processing - food, beverages, cigarettes. They want to get into business but they do not know how to run business. That brought in twenty-two point one million dollars ($22.1m.). Ha, a paltry sum.

The next one - Art, Craft and Woodworking. I thought that was a big thing to you because everybody want to ply a craft shop, everybody want to do some woodwork shop and I heard the Secretary of Finance on "Rise and Shine" this morning peddling untruths to the nation. I will come back to that.

This area here called Art, Craft and Woodworking only made one point one million dollars ($1.1m.). Could that sustain an economy? Could that get us out of the “mary clay” of this economic arrest that we are in? One point one million, twenty-two point one million ($22.1m.)?

The answer is no!

Garment Manufacturing no!

So if in 2011, you made almost no money from these sectors what are

24 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. you going to do differently now we want to hear that, to make these sectors work? It did not stop there, it did not stop there at all.

Let me get back to a particular book. I almost passed out when I read something last night in this book. [Indicating] I said I got nightmares I could not sleep when I read from this book last night.

What shocked me is that in speaking about developing the Tobago economy and giving people support and thing, they boasted of giving Tobagonians forty-four million dollars ($44m.). Yes! The question was when, when did this happen? What year, was it 2011? When? They call it "Enterprise Assistance Loan."

Was it a PNM Rewards Programme?

Because there are many persons who complained to me over and over again ... [Crosstalk] Madam Presiding Officer, I seek your protection please from the Member of Bacolet/Mt. St. George. I take my seat while you caution him please. He need not be speaking while I am speaking.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Please continue.

MR. W. DUKE:

Okay, Madam Presiding Officer, it is on record. I seek

your protection but thank God he is now silent.

25 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

They spent forty-four million dollars ($44m.) of taxpayers money on people, our money on Tobagonians and that was not bad. But what kind of worry me those persons, how many were they? What type of business they were into is my question that is what worries me. How many persons, what type of business they were into.

Because not only did they spend money

they went further, and they carried them on tours - they carry them to:       

Trade and Investment Conventions in Trinidad; Caribbean and Central America Action Conference; Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica; Summer; Commonwealth Countries League; Fair in London; Annual Havana Trade Fair.

They went all over the world and I ask myself what do we have to show for that? Who is producing garments? Who is producing Crafts and Woodwork for exports? How many dollars and cents do we expect to make this year from that, from all those training, all those joyrides - how much?

We need to spend the money that is transferred from Trinidad to Tobago in a way that encourages sustainable development. And we need to encourage persons to seek sustainable employment. That is not necessarily permanent jobs. Eh, eh!

Madam Presiding Officer, there is noise on the next side of the table.

Where are the training and advisory programmes to help them get to that sunny day?

Where are those programmes?

Where are those

26 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. programmes that you walk with these persons you spend the forty-four million dollars ($44m.) on or do we just forget that and start afresh again.

New money, new people.

Where is the Method Statement to get us from here to there? Our economic is in “big shambles.”

If a failed programme and we are here to

help. This is why I am saying to you today, let us create a Committee and let us relook at that Draft Estimates of Expenditure and Revenue.

You are giving Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) a whole lot of money but you are not giving them material with which to work. How could that lead to productivity? No cement, cement truck did not come! Well I might pass by and say, “Hi, what going on dey boy cement truck did not come nah so we are just liming till it make about 10.00 o'clock.” People are taking three (3) months to put up a little wall. Is that productivity?

They have allocated one hundred and thirty-one million dollars ($131m.) for expenditure, almost thirty-eight percent (38%) of the proposed Budget for Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). And they boast that in 2001 when they came in there was twenty-one thousand (21,00) jobs and today, in 2001 when they took over, they were twenty-one

27 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. thousand (21,000) people employed and they boast that they have added ten thousand, three hundred (10,300) to that.

They will not speak about the people who lost their jobs in the Human Capital Development Facilitation Company. Hundreds of persons lost their jobs. Where are those persons now?

But they said that we have full

employment. They want to send home scores of workers at the Studley Park Quarry and think it will be easy.

Madam Presiding Officer, I want to go to another area. We are talking about export. They want to do another Feasibility Study for a Cargo Port at Cove. One was done years ago. They want to do another one. Nothing is mentioned about the Studley Park Pier that should be fully developed - no, nothing is mentioned about that. They are going down there.

What we will want to suggest is that you all establish what we call, a Tobago Export Development Agency which will take the lead in coordinating development in tourism, education for export, ICT for export and the Creative Industries.

You see the current uncoordinated standard focus drive you all have, it will not work. When you read the News and you must not limit yourself to what comes over the TV or over your Cable, on the World Wide Web. If you look at Reuters, they will say that they have information that Sandals was up for sale. [Desk thumping] Have you all read that? It is something to look

28 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. into. Before you invest the two billion dollars ($2b.) from the World Bank that they have to give and it cannot be handled in Tobago it has to go to Trinidad. Think twice! Ask yourself the question, is Sandals up for sale?

Yes, Reuter’s News. Big news! Check it out! Sandals for sale! It is a “hush hush” thing. I hope when they are selling Sandals they do not sell No Man’s Land.

We are saying, if you really want to create a Company, create a Tobago Export Development Agency. Again, that will look into exporting the product of Tourism. Let them deal with that. How do we export that?

How do we export our educated people? Around the world people are doing that, China is doing it, Japan is doing it, Singapore is doing it. Wherever there are bright people, the World has need for them and Tobago has some of the brightest people. Look at the people on that side and this side in this House in the gallery. Could you imagine, if we were to nurture that and have the appropriate universities here, our Educational Programmes here, how far we could have gone? Yes, but no you want us to go to Trinidad and study, and when we go down there, there is nothing to come back, to because we have not yet learn how to nurture that. Nothing to come back to!

We are also saying that the Secretary statement, that “the solution is imminent” when he spoke about the, “Ferry”. Very sad statement again!

Very sad! He is giving a Budget statement and people have been calling for the entire year about the Fast Ferry. He is saying that a solution is imminent.

When they leave the gallery his boss says to the Media yes, that done. July!

29 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Do you know what I have found out? I have found out and I go for my information. [Indicating] There is a boat that is being considered and I want to tell you what is coming to me here, because from this phone I control the world [Laughter] from this phone. Everything comes in.

I am pulling up right now and I

want to tell you there is a boat called the “Ocean Flower 2”. I do not know where he get these names, from La Carambola; the Snail Mega Jet as if it is some kind of a cartoon, and now is “Ocean Flower 2” as if that makes it more adorable that makes it more wanted. Ocean Flower 2, a Korean Vessel that was manufactured in the year 1996 which means it pass fifteen (15) years old. The best practice in the Industry is, once a boat pass fifteen (15) years it is time to sell it, and start looking for a new one or start looking for a new one so you could sell it. That in 1996 to 2017 is twenty-one (21) years, Sunflower 11 as if that makes it more palatable to swallow. The answer is No. Yes, the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago signed a letter of credit for the Provider on Friday. I read it out. So you cannot say it is my own words, control the world from this [Demonstrating] “A” tool. This comes directly from Korea, this information here. Korea itself! It is a Korean vessel. Ocean Flower 2 is in Busan South Korea, it needs to sail to Trinidad, easier said than done. Right! I will want to tell you a little about the boat, I can give you all the thing here. It is expected here around July, 07, 2017.

This is what he is calling, the, “business season”. I do not know if July 15, 2017 is more important than Easter, if it is more important than the beginning of year, he is calling it the business season, our Chief Secretary is

30 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. saying that. He is quoted as saying that. This old boat that they want to deposit on us here in Trinidad and Tobago, run the risk of breaking down.

Twenty-one (21) years that is same age as the T&T Express for twenty-one (21) years old. It can hold about two hundred and twenty-five (225) cars, about little over six hundred (600) persons. But do you want to be “penny wise and pound foolish”? I have not yet gotten the cost of operating this boat, but this boat is not the best boat. If we are talking about a new boat then you must get something new. I recall in younger years, sometimes your mother says, “I get something new for you” but it is not really new you know, it is from your neighbour. It is new to you, but it is not really new.

We are tired of collecting boats from our neighbours. If you are saying that you are getting a new boat, get something new. What will be the cost to the business community again if this boat begins to break down or are they going to pay some exorbitant fee for the maintenance and management of that boat? I want the Chief Secretary to respond to that. He has a chance to respond. Remember the boat name, “Ocean Flower 2”. It sounds like a kick up movie.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Minority Leader for the record can you please quote your sources clearly so it can be documented.

MR. W. DUKE: It came from the World Wide Web. Ocean Flower II. Yes. Write it down.

31 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: I am referring to the article which you are quoting.

MR. W. DUKE: This came on my phone, Madam Presiding Officer. I will not give out my sources, but I am entitled to say information reaching me on my box. I have people. You all want to dump all kind of old boat here, all kind of an old boat. There is a talk that is taking place in the gallery Madam Presiding Officer, it is disturbing me.

There is also the need for us to work on Agriculture and Fisheries.

There is a boat called, “The Capital of Paradise”, how much money did that boat bring in for us? I did not see it in the book. How much money did the Capital of Paradise made for Tobago? The Secretary of Finance is not speaking about that. Whenever he speaks he speaks about 2001 to 2016.

He is not comparing 2016 with 2017, or 2015 with 2016. He is trying to blind us. First on accountability, the people of Tobago would like to know what has become of that fishing vessel on which millions, not thousand dollars you know, millions, I want you to answer that today, on the basis for re-development of our fisheries neglecting the existing professional fisherfolk. This Budget also does not account for the current state of the Fishing Industry in Tobago and no provisions for its development.

Budget Statement Debate 2017/2018 (Cont’d) MR. W. DUKE (Cont’d)

32 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

An assessment of the state of Fisheries is urgently needed and a programme designed to update technologies, knowledge and skills in the industry.

Regarding the redevelopment of Agriculture and Fishery the current approach of the THA (Tobago House of Assembly) is based on profound ignorance of the facts about why export agriculture in Tobago is in a mess in the first place. A proper review will reveal the following answers: • Low technology.

What is the technology in agriculture? Cutlass and hoe? And we want to compete with the rest of the world, we want to export food - cutlass and hoe; • Low skilled labour and high cost of unskilled labour caused by the THA employees - some 80%.

• Small-scale and the inability to achieve international competitive prices even in niché activities like cocoa - too small.

I heard my partner talking about creating some cocoa something. You all cut down the cocoa in Roxborough and put up housing. When you could of used the hillside which does not flood to put the housing you all cut it down. Now when it flood all the sewer backs up and create a stench. The water table is high and even on a regular day the sewer is still smelling in that development in Roxborough. People have to live with that for the rest

33 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. of their lives. It was built in a bad place. Cut down the cocoa to put that there. These implied that the agriculture we will succeed in doing in Tobago will have to be mainly high technology agriculture done for food security and food safety. We cannot do agriculture like them people with them tractors we cannot do that.

Indeed, the fact that the THA does not take its own “ole talk” seriously is evident in the allocation of only four million dollars ($4m.) to agriculture. Take that! Are you interested in agriculture?

They said that they want to open some place of employment in the East and Northside - create these little cottages that they close down, the very same cottages that they close down they want to open it back but before they open it they want to spend money repairing it - a Rewards Programme for the boys.

Then they speak about eighty million dollars ($80m.) of access road of which the Secretary speaks which would be better conceived as funding for agro-tourism. Have you all thought about that - Agro-tourism? Is that too big for you all to comprehend? Somebody may want to come to a place like Delaford and they may want to stay on a cocoa estate where they actually partake in the process of converting cocoa into chocolate? Have you ever conceived that?

34 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

As when you are in France and certain parts of the world you could go in a vineyard and pick grapes and you could watch how the process is being done? Or as in Grenada I think it is or St. Vincent where you could go to one of the rum factory (is it Grenada or St. Vincent) and see how they make their rum actually from the sugarcane?

There is an old cocoa house in Roxborough. Is it being utilized Agro-tourism?

Maybe they have something they called a "Cassava Company" that is housed in the Ministry of Finance - Secretary of Finance Office. And for Heaven’s sake he will not report and tell us how much money the Cassava Company made and how much it is intended to make in the future years.

What he is saying to us is how much money they are going to spend on it and you are the Secretary of Finance - Cassava Company. They said that not even a pound of cassava is grinded on a weekly basis. But you want more and more companies. You all do not know how to manage on that side but you opening up more companies. Studley Park Quarry again to break down.

If we enter into agro-tourism it will have an impact on every single community in Tobago and it will attract the youths. It should be supported initially by at least two hundred million dollars - spend it on it - agrotourism. Find all of these old copper trays, refine them, put them back to use. Some of these old water wheels you must have one in operation at least, build it back, put it in operation. Let people come to see how these

35 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. things operate. Grow some sugarcane again for the making of sugar.

We

are talking about a high technology, high quality thing that we could use for our own food security here. You do not have to sell but you could use it for our own food security here and obviously our people in Trinidad will once again, respect the brand name, "Tobago."

As a younger man when you go to Trinidad to sell in the market once they hear: • Tobago chenette; • Tobago Mango; • Tobago Zaboca; • Tobago pawpaw; • Tobago fish.

They running for it.

But I have watched for sixteen (16) years this

Executive (because they are one) replaced Benne Balls with Sesame seeds.

Yes, I have watched them do that. You cannot find Benne Balls now.

I heard a tourist grumbling the other day at the Airport asking, "What is this?" She said that she bought Benne Balls but she got Sesame Seeds.

She wanted to sue. We have to review the way we do business.

36 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Those persons who are selling down at the Airport down there why are they not in a covered area that is properly protected from the negative fumes of vehicles - protected area.

Why do we still have persons at the Crown Point International Airport that is on par with Heathrow Airport, Gathwick Airport and Frankfurt International Airport; when you enter the Airport people are not protected from the gas fumes of the vehicles?

Forty-three million dollars ($43m)

spent to upgrade the airport and all they did was to paint the roof and put some fancy lights upon the ceiling with some big fans to “cut off man head” and that was good for the THA. Madam Presiding Officer, if I had done that ... [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Can you please allow the Minority Leader to complete his statement?

MR. W. DUKE: I know that you have trouble with the truth but today the truth will be revealed because we come for all you and what I miss out my colleagues on my right and my left shall put in.

We have been spending money and not getting any single thing to show for it. We believe that we should have in Tobago here our own Kendal Agro-

37 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. tourism Research Faculty. We believe that. Yes! Put something in the country - Kendal Agro-tourism Research Faculty with an interest in:        

Engineering; Hillside trails; Lauric Development; Horticulture; Floriculture; Parks; Restoration of Archeological Heritage associated with Cocoa; and Sugar production.

There are so many of those all around the place that needs to be restored.

Focus on that if you are talking about building the economy. When we talk about Social Equity and Social Development, I must say, there is increasing global agreement that equitable access to capital assets is an important basis for long run development in Trinidad and Tobago. Each country must develop an Evidenced Based Plan for Increasing Social Equity and Eliminating Poverty. I will read that again. Each country must develop an Evidenced Based Plan for Increased Social Equity and Eliminating Poverty. This Budget provides no data on the state of poverty and the distribution of assets in Tobago.

Except to admit that there are seven

thousand (7,500) applications for Housing. Are you satisfied with that?

This morning, I got up and I saw my friend on the Television talking on Rise and Shine. They asked him, “Since 2001, how many houses have you built”? Listen the loophole answer. The man of Finance and the

38 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Economy, listen the loophole answer, “I do not know the figures, but I can tell you how many Estates we have built upon”. Shameful! He does not know how many houses that they have built, but he can tell you the Estates we have built upon. Shameful indeed! How many houses more importantly, were given out in the fiscal year that is now in the past? The last Fiscal year, how many houses? How many houses were built in the last fiscal year?

This is what this Budget is about comparing your progress, measuring this year, with that year. Not measuring this year with 2001 as you so often times do in your statement. That is folly. It is rubbish to be comparing the present with 2001.

If you are doing it for 2018, you must compare 2017 or more

directly, 2016 with 2015. You must compare it. Let us see what progress you have made if you are closer to your target now or you are further apart.

But no, seven thousand, five hundred (7500) houses people are requesting.

What you are doing when you own at least forty percent (40%) of the lands in Tobago? What are you doing with those lands? We want to find out.

What are you doing with those State lands that you owned? What?

I heard a story about a parcel of land in Argyle, Kendal area, where a woman was working this land for a long time. Ups come this Executive, because they are one, whether this one or the last one, you are one, you said that, and they took away the land from the lady, and they gave it to someone who is associated with them around election time. I said to the lady, that area falls in my Constituency, and I will investigate that. We can challenge those things in law. Let me say to the nation now, no Executive who is in power, can violate the law. Alright. You have rights under the law, and the Constitution of those rights must be protected. No man must be deprived of

39 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. his property except by due process. Woman cultivating lands for almost (15) years now all of a sudden move from that piece there, we will give you a next piece, but let a next man come and take it. We will deal with that at the appropriate place.

Where is the social equity? How are you dealing

with the assets?

I have gotten a very rude phone call from someone that falls under the Division of the Assemblyman for Scarborough/Calder Hall, calling to tell me if I have gotten the invitation for the opening of the Argyle Micro Enterprise…….. All you feel is a movie; everything has to have a long name. When I got the phone call I had to put the phone down. I am from the area and they are saying to me there, did you get the invitation, the place is opening today? I was shock. I was shock to recognize all these people were at the place, all these people. [Illustrating] What is Joel Jack doing there? Secretary of Finance and the Economy, the Chief Secretary is there trying to force a smile, and the Assemblyman for Scarborough/Calder Hall is there. Not a person from Roxborough. This place that lie abandon for almost ten (10) years under this same Administration when it served their purpose to gain a one minute of fame. They opened it very hush, hush and they ensure that I was not available to see its opening in two hours’ time.

Can you attend? She is there. She will speak about it. Very rude! But it was for a “Kodak moment” that is what they did it for; it is in the budget book - social equity, social development.

40 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

As a Government, as a Tobago House of Assembly we have a social contract to the people of Tobago to ensure that we protect them. In doing so, we must ensure that there is housing for everybody. Every single one! The rich the poor, those who are not so well, there must be housing for all. They must have free and direct access, not for the “boys and the girls”. I am hearing that some people who are within this room are living in houses and they will say to you, it is not my house - two and three houses. We are talking now, how we should invest.

We are saying that there should be a Social Development Commission.

We want to recommend that on this side, a Social

Development Commission in Tobago which has the responsibility to monitor, design and implement strategies for individual and household asset acquisition and the development in Tobago communities.

Such a

Commission would have to rely on historical record to guide and assist households investing in the acquisition of capital assets, to overcome the limitation of reliance on their skill and unskilled labour to earn income.

Important here, is support for investment in Tertiary Education, that is what the Commission will do to ensure that we have investment in tertiary education, knowledge and skills, and ability to create new ideas. Where is the “think thank in Tobago”? Where is the “think thank”?

Do we have a

place where ideas come out from? This is why we should create (it is nonpolitical) Social Development Commission in Tobago. It will ensure that we invest in education and even training and skills so that our people could unlock the future with their bright ideas.

41 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Investments in residential housing is also an asset.

The Social

Development Commission of Tobago will deal with that. Investment in housing. We have so much lands. The Secretary boasts that there is so much wood in Tobago and so much people engaging in Light Manufacturing with Woodwork. He called a man’s name, the man must be cringed, when you call his name on Television. He is no friend of yours. That Social Development Commission in Tobago will deal with the investment in owning commercial property as assets including viable enterprises in emerging export sectors of Tobago. It will also encourage persons to engage in stocks. There is something called, “one coin” now you heard about that.

“One coin”! What did you say? Talk for her to hear, let her put you silent.

Already, so there is this whole system of training right now where the whole world seems to be engaging in trade. Some persons are buying gold, some are buying silver and there is this west one coin, there is crypt currency and all of different things out there.

The Social Development Commission will educate Tobagonians on how to engage in these things. That is what they will do. They will say to Tobagonians that you can invest your money in this that you can get into this business, we have done the business, we have done the homework, we have the data and we can say, "This business will work."

More than that, you

will walk with them and work with them until those business are successful.

42 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

When the time comes to report on the Budget you will say, that we have five (5) companies that have now grown from “micro” to “macro.”

Because in order to make it on the world stage we need to move from micro to macro and we need to build communities around businesses. Sometimes they put a business in the middle of nowhere and you ask yourself who will service that business?

We have to start to build communities. In every housing project there should be something like:    

A nursery; A little Recreational Park not just for children but for adults; A Gym to work out; and Homework Centres.

This is how develop nations operate.

He spoke that they are transparent, that they are accountable and that they meet with people. They move a whole Motion here last time - my friends on that side. A whole Motion just to get permission to go and talk to the community which they were doing long before we entered the Chamber.

But when you do that you must do it from a genuine heart.

All of Tobago from Charlotteville to Crown Point are waiting for the opportunity to be consulted about every single thing - they want to be

43 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. consulted. They want you to be accountable to them and they want you to be transparent.

Madam Presiding Officer, we cannot implement any development plan including whatever passes for a plan. We cannot implement this if the THA continues to run a closed shop that excludes the majority of Tobagonians from routine participation in making and monitoring decisions that affect their lives. This and not the current Constitutional relationship with Trinidad is the major constitutional barrier to the development of Tobago. The following four international practices should be adopted: (1)

Joint Policy Design through which government provides a furor physical or digital (computer).

I do not even see you all have a proper website on it that says, “We are discussing this as our Legislative Agenda for the rest of the year.” There is not even a Legislative Agenda, whatever they go have and think about whether it be on the beach down Crown Point or it be in some back room, whatever they think about they come and they put it on the House here as a Motion. Any sensible THA (Tobago House of Assembly) will not run its affairs like that. There ought to be a Legislative Agenda so the people of Tobago could know what you have in mind for them. That is the purpose of the THA - to create policies for the better Governance of Tobago.

44 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

So if you were engaging in consensus building and you were transparent and you held yourself accountable, then you will truly be representing the masses out there. There is not even a website where a man could punch in some information and sends it here. Not even that!

There is not even a meeting room where the Minority Council or the Executive Council could meet with Members of their Constituency if they come here to meet with them on a day like today. Nothing! But you are passing a Budget? These are components of a good Budget: (1)

How do we cater to meet the needs of our people and to engage them?

So, we were saying: (2)

We need to introduce a digital platform for good governance.

(3)

We need to create an Office called, "Tobago Office of Public Defender."

(3)

Community based participatory budgeting.

We spoke about that in our Manifesto. What we said on this side is that, we would give every single village in Tobago ten million dollars ($10m.) each.

That would have only amounted to five hundred million dollars ($500m.).

One million ($1m.) each we said we would have given them. [Laughter]

45 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

We said we would have given them - there are fifty (50) villages in Tobago [Crosstalk] and I will say this to you now, [Indicating] "This is the Secretary of Finance to come - not you."

Madam Presiding Officer, they have taken this House for a House to laugh and it is good to see they can laugh but let them understand that, "Not all skin teeth is joke." So we have said in our mandate that of the fifty (50) villages in Tobago, we will give each ten million dollars ($10m.) which will amount to half a billion dollars (1/2 b.) - five hundred million ($500m.).

Now, that is not hard because we are talking development and if we are talking development, this must take place in these villages. That is what I am saying, because these villages constitutes Tobago and there is no country and no town, there is no urban and rural Tobago. There is one Tobago. We are saying that the time has come for us to develop L'Anse Fourmi as we develop Crown Point. The time has come for us to make Tobago a beautiful place and that will involve the community participating in the Budget.

You will come to a village like Parlatuvier, a village like Roxborough, a village like Canaan/Bon Accord and you will say what are some of the things you want to see for this year and obviously you will help guide the process. So whatever development takes place there the people would be able to own it, they would be able to measure it and they can truly say the money spent on development was really spent because ten million ($10m.) of that was spent in my community.

46 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

We were also saying that the time has come for the Public/Private Partnership not to go outside of Tobago but to take place inside Tobago.

There are many Contractors in Tobago here who are not PNM (Peoples National Movement) but they are not getting work. We are going to deal with that in an appropriate time.

This is not a Rewards Card Programme all “yuh running here, yuh know,� no Rewards Card Programme, this is a Tobago Programme.

We are also saying on this side - the Minority Council that any Foreign Company who is coming to Tobago to engage in major development can only do so with a Tobago Company collecting a particular percentage of that contract. We are talking sustainable development, we are talking about spreading the thing around.

These are the things that will create

transparency.

We are also saying on this side that in order to create the competitive edges so as to ensure that all of our tradesmen and women would be in a position to be more productive - to insight them, to create an impetus to drive them to do better. You must, not only make the ACH a digital thing but you must also create a digital listing of all the tradesmen and trades women in your country. Do you all have that? You all do not even have that. Do you all have that? You must be able to monitor the work that they do. So you ensure that when the year comes, all of these tradesmen and women, are all given a fair bite at the cherry.

Not run a Rewards

47 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Programme, but if you do not have a red card in your hand, you en`t getting nothing - “Dog eat your supper.” No, that is not how Tobago ought to be run. Good governance, deals with not only with accountability and transparency, it deals with following the rule of law. The rule of law dictates that you cannot discriminate when dealing with Tobagonians.

I will like to go a little further on. Two point five billion dollars ($2.5b.) was spent last year how much of that is realized in Tobago? What did we get for it? Nothing! We have a situation where the Market is still leaking; where they want to take the market vendors out of Scarborough and carry them somewhere where nobody operates from. operate.

That is how we

Take them from where they are and carry them quite down

somewhere down low side close to the Shaw Park, somewhere down there.

That is what they want to do people are hurting. Our fishermen are hurting too. The rescue mission for fishermen is not as Tobago centric as we want it to be, many of them are contending on the high seas out there with pirates.

Guns are being traded on the high waters, sometimes for food. Just the other day one of our fishermen ended up quite down in Carriacou. How do we monitor that? How do we protect our fishermen? Have we quantified the amount of fishes in our sea? Why is it that we have that incursion from our neighbours coming in to our waters and nothing is said about it? Why is it that drilling all over Tobago, letting go explosives, destroying tuna nests etcetera? You are not coming to the House and say how are you going to treat with that? Why is it?

48 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Why is it that in Roxborough, from Kendal right up to the Depot the sea is trying to reclaim the land? The only thing that is happening there, they dropped twelve (12) big boulders as if that is the “foundation of heaven” on the beach of Roxborough. So, nobody cannot go down there now without damaging their legs. Where does that come from? What is the plan to protect the properties? The last time that I have checked, they may have built about one hundred (100) properties along the shoreline. One hundred or more, the last time I checked?

What is the plan to save those properties from high tide? What is the plan? Just drop boulders? How do you balance the Eco System when we drop all those boulders in the sea? Is there a backlash somewhere else? I know the Secretary of Environment will speak about that.

We have come to a very sad place in our history where what should be a budget is made five billion dollars ($5b.) no idea is given as to how we will make the money.

The only place in Tobago now that can go into direct operation and produce money is the quarry because that is A class material that we are talking about – “A” class material, and you all are not thinking about the Quarry. You want to give it to someone. I will not warn you about that person today, but I want to ask a question. The Chairman of that Quarry, is that Chairman, Mr. Allan Richards?

I want the Chief Secretary to answer

the question when he gets up to speak.

Is it Mr. Allan Richards the

49 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Chairman of that Company?

If so, is it the same Mr. Allan Richards who

owns a property that has been rented by the Tobago House of Assembly? I am asking a question inside the House. I want to ask another question, whether or not Mr. Allan Richards has a Trucking Service that provides aggregate for projects? I want to ask a question, whether or not Mr. Allan Richards is associated with the Roxborough Administrative Complex? I want to ask a question, whether or not; a person who is a Contractor can be a Chairman of a particular product that is in demand by Contractors. I want to ask that question. These are pertinent questions and Tobago does not belong to a few, it belongs to all of us. “All ah we navel string bury right here”.

You want to protect people. He must be a very important man, must be a very important man. I walk with a sign [Demonstrating] as I met my Colleagues here today from Studley Park. They are concerned; they are concerned about their livelihood; they are concern about some Company – Studley Park Enterprise something; they are concerned about the lack of consultation; they have given me a sign that says “Save Studley Park Quarry…” [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Minority Leader, we are not going to be allowing posters, that is not part of Parliamentary practice. So, please put away your poster.

MR. W. DUKE:

This is a document that I am reading from Madam

Presiding Officer. I am not going to post this anywhere. I am reading from

50 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. this document here.

It is a document I am reading from.

A poster is

something that you post up‌ [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER:

I have already asked you to put it

aside please.

MR. W. DUKE: This what I am reading from?

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Yes.

MR.W. DUKE: Alright. On a Point of order, I rise Madam Presiding Officer, [Laughter] while I am speaking I want to be shown directly where in the Standing Orders it says the size of document that I can read from. I want to be shown in the Standing Orders Madam Presiding Officer, and I will sit.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Mr. Duke, as Presiding Officer, I have made a ruling. If you are complete with your Budget statement, we can wrap it up from here. If not, please proceed. [Desk thumping] MR. W. DUKE: Madam Presiding Officer, I have obliged. I have complied with your ruling. I am not challenging your ruling. I am simply stating that as a Representative in the House, the Minority Leader, you owe it to me to say where in the Standing Orders I have violated. That is all. That is my

51 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. right.

Inside the House, say where I have violated the Standing Orders.

That is all I am asking Madam Presiding Officer. I have complied. I put it away. Say what you want. Show me where in the Standing Orders I have violated the Act. I have a document to read from. I put it away; show me in the Standing Orders.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Minority Leader, if you do not proceed with completing your presentation, we can end it here for you. Okay. Please proceed. Do not challenge me in this chair.

MR. W. DUKE: I have ten (10) minutes and I am going to spend my ten (10) minutes wrapping up.

Madam Presiding Officer, I thank you for your admonition but I will go on to say this. In this Tobago House of Assembly where we sit as Assemblymen and Councillors to engage in one of the most important laws that can possibly be passed in Tobago - a financial law that is what it is. It requires openness, it requires each and everyone of us to present our information in accordance with the Standing Orders a book that I have always obliged to follow. I read it day and night. I want to be guided by the Standing Orders and I also want to ensure that I am allowed to be heard on this side so as to represent the people on that side and outside. Because long after we have left this Chamber persons are concerned about the Budget.

How does the Executive Council plan to treat with the fallout from closing

52 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. the Studley Park Quarry?

That is my concern. I do not represent myself

here.

How could a Quarry that stands to make one hundred and fifty million dollars ($150m.) per year not been placed as an important avenue for revenue in the book called, "Estimates of Revenue for the financial Year 2018?" How come?

If this is being privatized, why are you spending twenty-six million dollars ($26m.) of our money on a Company that is privatized already?

Who will be getting the Quarry, who will be running it? What is the criteria for persons being hired in the Quarry? What will become of those persons who are now working in the Quarry? "You could run but you can't hide."

The House is the only place for the Debate.

I am saying unto you, my friends on that side long after the House is closed there will be a debate in the streets of Tobago about this so-called Draft Estimates.

Where the revenue coming from? You have crashed the

business sector in Tobago so that you can encourage the business sector from elsewhere to come in, buy up chunks of land and put down chunks of business and you call that development.

You have brought hundreds of acres throughout Tobago and people are still lining up for homes and begging for homes.

53 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

For years you have promised Roxborough a Hospital, now you are saying you are expanding the hours in the Health Centre from 8.00 a.m to 8.00 p.m. something that you all copied from the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).

We said that we will open the Health Centres from 6.00 to 10.00, Sunday to Sunday. We will not close it because you do not get healthy on Friday and start back on Monday. It should be opened right through but for you, the furthest your mind allow you is to extend the hours a little bit. You all are not on the ground, you all are in the sky and someday, someday, I am hoping that when the people are ready because they are not quite ready, when they call for an election that you will not be able to say, “Give me another chance." I am hoping that you will be so satisfied with the havoc you reap on the Tobago economy, you will be so embarrassed by your failing policies that you will just say, "Ha, we will not contest, we will just do ourselves a service and go into oblivion - go into the past."

Today, as I wrap up I say, we will not be supporting this Budget unless this Budget goes to a Committee where we can work on a decent Budget that can reach Trinidad by June 30th.

We hold ourselves available to meet with

you all in that Committee, so we can fix that Budget properly.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. [Desk thumping] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Chief Secretary. [Desk thumping]

54 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

CHIEF

SECRETARY

INNOVATION,

AND

PLANNING,

SECRETARY PUBLIC

OF

EDUCATION,

ADMINISTRATION,

INFORMATION, STATE LANDS AND ENERGY (Hon. Kelvin Charles):

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

I thank you for the

opportunity to speak to the people of Tobago and by extension the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Through you, Madam Presiding Officer, on this the occasion of my first Budget Presentation in this Honourable House, I begin by congratulating the Deputy Chief Secretary and the Secretary of Finance and the Economy for his skillful presentation of the Budget and its Estimates.

[Desk thumping] Madam Presiding Officer, I take this opportunity as well, to thank my Colleagues for their contribution in respect of the construction of this Budget and more particularly, for the quality of their stewardship since we have come into Office. [Desk thumping] Madam Presiding Officer, of course, I thank the Public Officers who by dint of hard work and sacrifice would have been able to put the numbers together that would have formed the basis for the Budget Presentation that we did last week. [Desk thumping] Even as I say that, I also want to thank those persons who responded positively to our request for consultation so

55 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. that their views could have been considered in the context of our preparation of our Budget Estimates.

Madam Presiding Officer, I make bold to say, that since coming into Office, in February of this year, we have gone where none has gone before.

[Desk thumping] Madam Presiding Officer, we would have purposely titled this Budget “Unleashing the Creative and Productive Capacity of our People.� From where we sit we are comfortable that the people of Tobago have it within themselves to rise to the occasion and to treat with the issues that confront us.

All they require really and truly is the quality of leadership to go

forward. And we say, today that the Leadership can be found on this side.

[Desk thumping] Our people have been known in the past in essence there resides among us and within us a potential for certain things - attributes of industry of resilience, of honesty, capacity for hard work, self-reliance and a sense of independence.

Today, I make a call to all of us on this island that we either return to these values or perhaps, we need to forward to these values as pre-requisites for surmounting the challenges that are both confronting us today and those that are imminent.

56 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, when we would have attempted to seek the mandate of the people of Tobago, and thereby established a form of social contract, we would have said to the people of Tobago that our vision particularly in the short to medium term, was the development of an economy that was sustainable, but more fundamentally one that was premised on:  Agriculture;  Tourism;  Light Manufacturing; and  Specialized Services Indeed, we went on further and we made the point that that the economy would be undergirded by a robust Education System; a Dynamic Health Sector, an Energized Public Service; and an industrious, but hospitable people. Therefore, we are satisfied and we are confident, that the Budget that we would have presented on this side, clearly delineates and outlines a path forward for the journey on which we have embarked.

Having said that Madam Presiding Officer, as part of my initial context for my presentation, I would be particularly negligent, if I did at least spend a few minutes, I do not have two (2) hours, but at least spend a few moments to treat with some of the attempts by the Minority Leader to debunk the Budget presentation.

57 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, of course, my Colleagues at the appropriate time will respond to certain specific areas especially those areas consistent with their portfolios. Whilst it has been too much to expect a magnanimous contribution, given that we are talking about Tobago’s development, I really did not expect a reply devoid of pragmatism, practicality and irrationality.

[Desk thumping] To think, Madam Presiding Officer, that the Minority Leader would describe the Budget as “sickening and painful”, what needs to be said very positively, and very forcefully, is that what is “sickening and painful” is the fact that we had to spend the last two (2) hours, listening to a presentation that was frivolous; vexatious; vacuous; ridiculous and preposterous. [Desk thumping] It is clear, Madam Presiding Officer, that the Minority Leader, notwithstanding his shenanigans, listens to me from time to time.

It does cause him some confusion.

There were times in his

presentation that I was wondering whether he was supporting the Budget, or he was contradicting the Budget.

Such was his presentation actually a

mismatch of logic. [Desk thumping] Repeat with misrepresentations, convoluted arguments, and contradictions. In one instance, he is saying that we have no plan and in another instance he is saying, that we need to consult. Now, tell me, do you want to consult, or do you want to plan? But I say to the people of Tobago through you Madam Presiding Officer, that let us beware, the core personality of an individual does not change.

That the

“road to hell is paved with good intention”. I take this opportunity to caution the Minority Leader, because he likes to give advice to us on this side. I know he goes to church from time to time, that is commendable. But I need to remind him, “That those who knoweth and doeth not shall be

58 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. beaten with many stripes”. [Desk thumping] So, in essence, I advise the Minority Leader to refrain speaking from both sides of his mouth. But I was making the point a while ago about the Minority Leader listening to me. It is evident, because in some of his contributions he did allude to some of our plans, you know and attempting to put that and to flip that as though they were representative of his own ideas.

Madam Presiding Officer, it bears repeating that Tobago has made tremendous strides in the last sixteen (16) years. It does bear repeating.

[Desk thumping] In fact, we really would have just made the point, that a platform has been created for those of us who have now been handed the battour to take it and run with it. The statistics are there, employment or unemployment was thirteen percent (13%) in 2001 and that in respect of the last quarter of 2016, is less than four percent (4%). Those are undeniable facts. Quantitatively, and the Minority Leader did make reference to it, there were twenty-one thousand, seven hundred (21,700) persons employed in 2001 and that moves to thirty-two thousand (32,000) plus by the third quarter of 2016.

We have in respect of an Educated Labour Force, again it bears repeating because the point must be made, that it was five percent (5%) of the labour force in 2001 and that has gone to twenty percent (20%) in 2016 representing a four hundred percent (400%) increase. Madam Presiding Officer, if I were in a more combative mode, I would have said, it probably may need to “stick in their craw,” but I would not say that [Laughter]

59 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. because as an individual that is committed to law and order, I shall set the example.

We have, Madam Presiding Officer, the highest number of Community Centres per capita anywhere in the world; the highest number of sporting fields and lighted fields etcetera per capita, anywhere in the world; the highest number of Health Centre per capita anywhere in the world, we have seventeen (17) Health Centres thereabout and a General Hospital seating about one hundred (100) beds for sixty-five thousand (65,000) people.

I ask the question, where else in the world [Desk

thumping] is that available? Therefore, when we say that much has been done over the last sixteen (16) years; when we say that we are comfortable with a platform that has been created, it is to these that we speak. [Desk thumping] However, Madam Presiding Officer, real challenges exists, and there are issues that we must face. We all know them. The Minority Leader knows them, and I say to us that we ignore them at our peril.

The issue of, “Productivity�, is one that I was addressing on the platform during the elections, I cannot remember any other potential Leader opposite to us, making any attempt to address that as one of the critical issues that we must address going further.

The absence of a real Manufacturing Sector, we have said that, I have spoken to it. The Minority Leader referred to the opening of the Argyle Multi-Purpose Micro Centre and indeed on that occasion, I made reference

60 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. to the fact that in Tobago, we have gotten to the point where we import. He spoke to it, he took that from a speech I made. Benne balls seems to be replaced by sesame seeds balls and more fundamentally, that sesame seed balls are made in Trinidad and are sent to Tobago to be sold as Tobago Benne Balls. That is not new, that is not new information. I have addressed that and I am saying these are the things that we must pay attention to.

We import Tamarind Balls I think it is from Taiwan. How did we get there? These are some of things that we must confront and treat with if we have to take Tobago to the next level. That is why on this side and as part of our philosophy for development, we talked about a particular kind of Community Development model a “Tobago can do� because we believe in the Spirit of our people.

We also spoke about methanol which represents in a very real sense the need for us to change our mental models. The need for us to have a critical look at the lens through which we see the world and adjust them accordingly. As I said on more than one occasion in the past, we have to get to the point where we change our approach to treating with things and we need to do that fast.

Madam Presiding Officer, as I made that point, I need to say to us as a people, yes we can be critical but let us become constructively critical.

Because Tobago is a small part of the universe and because of technology whatever we say is instantaneously transmitted to the rest of the world and

61 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. how we conduct ourselves.

In fact, we are making statements about

ourselves.

Madam Presiding Officer, I will give you an example. I had cause to interact recently with two persons, one from the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and another a Caribbean National who came to Tobago to treat with some issues relative to the development and planning of certain activities in Tobago and what struck me was their comments.

Firstly, it was the gentleman from UNDP and he said, he has worked all over the world but he has never found such negativity in Trinidad and Tobago. I heard that and I said, okay, fine. But when it was repeated by the Caribbean National who said that he has worked all over the Caribbean but in this country and in Tobago in particular, he has never found such negativity. I said to myself, no, something is wrong and it has to be addressed.

Why are we beating up on ourselves like this? Is a question that I would want us to reflect on. Because life is about solving problems and making decisions and if we do not believe in our capacity to solve our own problems and to make critical decisions to advance our cause then we are in real trouble because no one is going to come here to do that for us.

As I make that point, perhaps I could touch a bit on the seabridge that the Minority Leader seems to have a lot of information on.

What needs to

62 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. be said is that the efforts that would have been expended by the Port Authority Board in many instances, were jettisoned by some of the spiteful and uninformed comments coming out from the people of Tobago and in some instances Trinidad and that is a fact.

So that, on one day you get an e-mail that says, "We are prepared to treat with you and we can agree."

On the other day you get an e-mail that

says, "It's off!" Because there were people around the world who were not prepared to enter into any agreements with us in Trinidad and Tobago based on our posture. That is why I was very careful in what I would have said from time to time in respect of the sea bridge.

The sea bridge also has another dimension but if I have time I will come back to it. But let me just say at this point in time to the people of Tobago, that there are two boats that will be coming one in respect of a passenger ferry that can also carry cargo and one in respect of a dedicated cargo ferry.

Let me also say, that from day one the position has always been that there will be a short-term arrangement to be followed by a longer term arrangement and the longer term arrangement would relate to the purchase of new boats but a short term arrangement would not have.

Clearly,

because one cannot go into a parlour or a store and purchase a boat or lease a boat especially when one has to treat with certain kinds of specks relative to that.

63 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

So, agreement has been reached, due diligence has been concluded and all that remains to be done is for the contract to be executed. So that, as I would have said last week Thursday when I was asked, I said, “The light is at the end of the tunnel� in essence and the fact that two boats (because I was asked about one) will be here by the time (and I never used the words, "Business Season" I said, "Busy Season.") the busy season relative to the holiday period would have been upon us.

Madam Presiding Officer, having said that, there are some other areas that I want to touch on briefly. The other area that seem to have attracted the attention of the Minority Leader is the old issue of the Quarry. Yes, to the point where consistent with his style and his approach. He would have visited on Friday in an attempt to destabilize the situation up there. Of course, as I said, you know there are times I can be charitable so that the issue of bacchanal and confusion are some of the things that I would not engage in.

Arguably the Minority Leader is not aware of the history of the Quarry and perhaps I could just enlighten him a bit. He likes to see himself as a Teacher you know but I do not know that he would have made the grade, [Laughter] but that is another matter.

The Quarry operations began some time ago, but he does not know that prior to 2001 in other words, the advent of the PNM Administration in

64 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Tobago that there were plans to privatize the quarry. He talks about reading and research, I commend that approach to him and then he would get the facts.

In coming into being of the PNM Administration in 2001, that approach was jettisoned because in consultation with the Union another attempt was being made to see whether based on some minor adjustments to the operations the Quarry could have gotten to the point where it would have been able to deliver.

Consistent with that thinking, more than a hundred

million dollars ($100m.) would have been borrowed, I think it was from Republic Bank Limited.

New equipment was purchased, a new Plant was

purchased on commission, all with a view to bring the Quarry up to a particular level of operation. We are at the point where the Quarry continues to operate in a very sub-optimal manner.

Consistent with our plans going forward the decision would have been taken to set up a Special Purpose Company - not a Private Enterprise - a Special Purpose Company under the purview or the auspices of the Tobago House of Assembly. [Desk thumping] Of course, and this is the point I was making in terms. He listens at times and he contradicts himself. Clearly, the Quarry has potential, we have recognized that but we also recognized that given its current configuration and method of operation it will never, never operate at the level that is required.

Therefore, the decision that

would have been taken has been in the interest of everyone including the island of Tobago and the country of Trinidad and Tobago.

65 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

I wish to state for the records briefly Madam Presiding Officer, that part of the strategy going forward is consistent with the diversification of the Tobago’s economy. On the one hand we can save foreign exchange and on the other hand, we can also earn foreign exchange from a revamp set of operations at the quarry. So, that the quarry is indeed a significant asset and we shall ensure that it operates in the manner that it should. Business and Operational Plans have already been develop and the competencies of current staff are being aligned with the goals and the objectives of the transformational process.

There are several advantages or benefits to be

derived you know.

The Capital Development Works that are envisaged in Trinidad for example, we have the Highway to Point Fortin; we have the proposed highway to Toco; we have the Toco Port.

Even in terms of Tobago,

construction, we have the Sandals Enterprise that may come on stream not too long from now, even in terms of Rehabilitation of the Runway, these are projects that requires aggregate, and requires aggregate in substantial quantities. Therefore, in order not to limit the pace of development and that is why we spoke about enhance delivery, we must move speedily to ensure that the prerequisites for the advancement of the economy in those areas are in place.

66 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

As I say that Madam Presiding Officer, let me again for the records, debunk the misrepresentation and the misstatement of the Minority Leader.

There shall be no retrenchment. [Desk thumping] We have as part of the policy position, stated quite unambitiously to the workers, I, Madam Presiding Officer, would have visited along with the Secretary of the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment and Members of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and we met with the workers. We would have indicated among other things, the point I made a while ago. So that the workers will be re-deploy, at no loss of benefits. Redeploy! In addition to that, we have agreed in principle with the Union, that there will be an Incentive Allowance given to all the workers currently working at the Quarry. Now, we could have taken the position and offered Voluntary Separation of Employment Packages (VSEP) - as we call it, but we did not do that. We understand the role at least in the short term, that the Tobago House of Assembly plays in the economic affairs‌ [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Member, you have two minutes left.

[Desk thumping] HON. CHIEF SECRETARY: Okay. Thank you Madam Presiding Officer.

The role that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) plays in the development of this island and therefore, we have said in addition to the two point seven eight billion dollars ($2.78b.) that workers currently working at

67 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. the quarry that have the requisite skills sense, will be the first choice if they so desire to gain employment with the Company.

You see, Madam Presiding Officer, there are times, when a Leader has to be courageous; when a Leader must be bold or audacious but not reasonable; and there are times when a Leader has to set the pace especially when those who are led may not be seized of all the issues that surrounds certain situations. That quickly Madam Presiding Officer, that I would say on the quarry. I have much more to say, but of course I do not have two (2) hours and I have to deal with that quickly.

Madam Presiding Officer, in relation as well as to the whole issue of Agriculture, and Tourism, the Secretaries will speak on that if they need to.

But what I want to point out, is that the idea of increasing work on the Estates and creating Access Roads is a central plan… [Interruption] EXTENSION OF SPEAKING TIME Motion made: That the Hon. Member’s speaking time be extended by ten (10) minutes. [Hon. Kwesi Des Vignes] Question put and agreed to.

68 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Honourable Chief Secretary your speaking time has been extended by ten minutes.

HON. CHIEF SECRETARY:

[Desk thumping] Thank you Madam

Presiding Officer. So that the whole idea, is that we will revitalize the Agricultural Sector.

We have established an Agricultural Revitalization

Team that has to present a very practical and pragmatic plan, not an esoteric one at all, that speaks specifically to sectors and their contributions expected from each of the sectors and stakeholders.

In addition to that, the Minority Leader made reference to a four million dollars ($4m.) Expenditure that he saw in the Estimates, not recognizing that what that represents really, is seed capital and funding for those persons especially the young person’s men and women who wish to get into Agriculture, but do not currently have capital to do so. [Desk thumping] We also took the position quite early in the term that we would establish a Tourism Development Agency. There again, the idea was to ensure that as we collaborate with the stakeholders. We get to the point where their views can influence policy and process going forward.

Therefore, when the Minority Leader talked about consultation we have taken steps to do that. But as I indicated, he speaks from both sides of his mouth. They refused to be part of a process in our very first Motion here to be part of a Committee to treat with the whole issue of a Code of Conduct,

69 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. fundamental to the setting or the resetting of the island of Tobago in respect of how Leaders would behave and how Leaders would carry themselves.

Quickly Madam Presiding Officer, before time runs out on me, I want to touch briefly on at least two (2) other things. I will be obliged Madam Presiding Officer, if when there are two (2) minutes to go, you could also remind me. One has to do with Education.

In respect of Education, one of the things that we will set up in treating with some of the real challenges in Education.

Madam Presiding

Officer, I am sure you are aware that we have consistently been at the bottom in respect of the Educational Districts in Trinidad and Tobago, and I propose that during my term that we would change that. One of the things that we propose to do as part of change and innovation, is the Establishment of a Teacher Professional Centre in Tobago, a venue has already been established and‌ [Interruption] 12.30 p.m.:

Sitting suspended:

1.42 p.m.: Sitting resumed.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: We will resume the proceedings with the Hon. Chief Secretary speaking. You have eight (8) minutes. [Desk thumping]

70 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

HON. CHIEF SECRETARY:

Thank you.

Madam Presiding Officer,

before the break I was on my feet and was about to treat with the issue of a Teacher Innovation Centre because the reality is that some of our schools both primary and secondary are performing below par.

Therefore,

particularly in respect of our primary schools the focus really is on the Teacher because consistent with pedagogical postulations it is the Teacher who has the responsibility to motivate and ensure that the students learn. In this regard, one of our initiatives going forward is the creation of a Teacher Innovation Centre. Some of the key outcomes that we anticipate include but are not limited to: (1)

The provision of effective teaching tool kits to be used by teachers.

(2)

The issue of innovative lesson planning.

(3)

Professional discussions and the collaboration and the need to share best practices.

Budget Statement Debate 2017/2018 (Cont’d) HON. CHIEF SECRETARY (Cont’d)

71 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

(4)

Diagnostic so that there is an identification of teaching and learning gaps and the development of solutions and

indeed

over time, the Centre will be so equipped so that

teachers

would be able to either visit or access the Centre

through

technology.

So, consistent with that, one expects that there will be more: (5)

Inter-school and intra-school teacher collaboration.

(6)

A sharing of stories and learnings.

(7)

A reduction in teacher's stress; and

(8)

A training hub to elevate the teachers and education in Tobago.

Madam Presiding Officer, I move quickly to treat and make a statement in respect of two critical matters. One has to do with the Tobago Autonomy Bill and the other has to do with the Land Title issue which affects Tobagonians.

In respect of the former, the Bill is currently before the Legislative Review Committee of the Cabinet. Given what is required in respect of the changes it is likely to require a three-fourths majority and that has implications for us in Tobago as I would have indicated some time ago given the configuration of the Parliament at this time and the posture of those who

72 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. now sit there. We in Tobago must be prepared to take the battle forward because I suspect it will not be easy.

The Attorney General has agreed that within the next two (2) to three (3) weeks he, the Attorney General, along with the Minister of Planning will come to Tobago and will engage in discussions with the Representatives of the THA on areas of the Bill that are possibly in contention and would require some clarification.

In respect of the latter, that is the Land Title matter, six (6) Bills have been drafted for, have already been laid in the Parliament. The other two (2) will deal with the whole issue of Fraud and the intent is to have these Bills debated in the September Session of the Parliament. What I need to say is that in respect of the approach, the Bills speak to the whole issue of compulsory land registration. In essence, it represents a tidying up process because many of our lands in Tobago as you know, there is no real title for them and therefore there is a collaborative effort among our Joint Enterprise among the THA, the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Planning to treat with these issues. The project I am happy to say, would begin in Tobago at no cost to the residents.

Madam Presiding Officer, at this time, you may know that lands that have to be brought under the Real Property Ordinance, individual land

73 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. owners must do so at exorbitant costs ranging anything between thirty to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).

Madam Presiding Officer, and you know, the Minority Leader in his Presentation did make reference to China as a model but what he did not say is that the political situation or culture in China is such that I do not know that he would have been able to speak in China. [Laughter] But more than that, Madam Presiding Officer listening and feel that it was wisdom that was emanating.

I read from a document a Report from zihoping.com and it says, that wages for new graduates in China have fallen by sixteen percent (16%) in 2017 compared to last year. The data is the latest in the line of recent warnings about the job prospects of new graduates and raises concern over future of China's job market. I go further to say that hundreds of millions of Chinese workers are still struggling to make a living wage. The cost of living in China cities increases all the time and the gap between the rich and the poor shows no signs of closing.

Madam Presiding Officer, in our case, we took a conscious decision that we will not retrench anyone, in fact, that we will maintain employment levels.

If I had more time, Madam Presiding Officer, I would have gone

into the value notwithstanding the economic detractors who insist that we must send people home.

74 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Of the contribution of the THA (Tobago House of Assembly) in respect of the disposable spending in Tobago resulting in the circulation of money so that we can all at this time be enjoying a reasonable standard of living.

Madam Presiding Officer, as I close, I say to you and to Tobago that leaders must be prepared to eschew political expediency and lead and govern with courage especially in context like ours in terms of declining revenues and ever increasing unrest. For our Administration what is right will remain right. [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Member, unfortunately your time is up.

HON. CHIEF SECRETARY: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. [Desk thumping] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: May I ask who would like to speak?

Budget Statement Debate 2017/2018 (Cont’d)

COUNCILLOR DR. FAITH B. YISRAEL: Madam Presiding Officer, Members of the Tobago House of Assembly; Members of the viewing

75 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. gallery those who are listening; those who are viewing us on Television and Online, good afternoon.

This is certainly a special, but “bitter sweet” moment for Tobago. One where we are here again speaking about a Budget for the Tobago House of Assembly that was presented last week, that has honestly made me and I would use the word, “sick”.

While sitting here listening, in addition

listening to other Members joke about the lives of Tobagonians it is actually rather sickening. expressed.

This is something that other Tobagonians have also

Their disappointment with the lack of vision, the lack of

planning; the lack of foresight; the lack of caring, that seems to be a part of this Budget that was just presented.

Let me start Madam Presiding Officer, by identifying a couple flaws in the process that was used by this Executive Council to create the Budget that was presented.

There are several models of doing development. One that is very simple, include four (4) broad steps, it is known as the PDCA Cycle, “Plan Do, Check, Act”.

Madam Presiding Officer, it seems as if we have not

really done much Planning; Doing; Checking; or Acting for the last sixteen (16) leading on seventeen (17) years and the Members of the Executive Council spent the time laughing and joking. When in fact, we were talking about the things that have been going wrong with the economy of Tobago.

76 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, one of the opening remarks that was made by the Secretary of Finance and the Economy, was that a Budget Survey, some consultations and other needs assessment exercises were conducted.

However, it seems from talking to people, listening to them on the Radio and the Television and so forth and meeting them in the public, many of the key Industry Leaders in Tourism, in Marketing, in Agriculture, everywhere they seem to think that even though they may have a part of something you people call consultation, none or very little if any of their recommendations were actually placed in these documents. Madam Presiding Officer, that is very disheartening. In addition, to not listening to the stakeholders on the ground, we seem to also not listening to the stakeholders who have the technical capacity to guide us. As a matter of fact I have looked at several reports that were done by Strategic Units of the Tobago House of Assembly.

It is quite obvious that even going through the statements, going through all of the documents, that those recommendations were also not taken into account.

Madam Presiding Officer, whenever we talk about planning, we cannot think about planning as something we do just for today or for tomorrow. As a matter of fact, while we are planning for this Budget, we should be looking at five (5), ten (10), fifteen (15) years down the road to ensure that what we do today 2017 or what is done in 2018 leads towards where we need to be in 2030. Madam Presiding Officer, it is funny that when the Secretary of Finance and the Economy sent out this “Call Circular�, to have the different Divisions create their Budgets, what he

77 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. referred to, was the Comprehensive Economic Development Plan 2.0 that ends in 2017. How are we planning for 2018 on a document that ended in 2017? It shows Madam Presiding Officer, that we have not really seriously thought about that Cycle. “Plans, Do, Check or Act”.

Madam Presiding Officer, a part of the planning step. A party of the Planning includes what are known as having smart objectives.

I am

certainly hoping that when all of the other Members speak today, that they could tell us what these Smart Objectives are for all of the money, nearly five billion dollars ($5b.) worth of stuff that you are now asking for.

SMART refers to “Specific”, “Measurable”, “Achievable”, “Relevant” and “Time bound.”

I may suggest that you actually listen.

Specific:

Specifically what are we going to do? What are the goals? Why are these goals important? Who are these things supposed to benefit? I am hoping that we would have answers for many of those issues. For example, maybe this is written somewhere and you may tell me. We seem to be asking for two million dollars ($2m.) for feasibility studies to do everything. There is a feasibility study that is supposed to be done for something at the Englishman’s Bay Facility. Now the fact is that you have been here for the last sixteen (16) years, so I am not sure having a feasibility study for what needs to be done is where we should be spending two million dollars ($2m.) right now in this guava season. Those objectives Madam Presiding Officer, needs to be measureable. How are we going to know when these goals have been met? For example, we are asking for seventy-seven million dollars ($77m.) for Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). It is one of the

78 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. largest request that we are having. But what are we going to do with that money? What is Tobago going to do with that money? At the end of the seventy-seven million dollars ($77m.) how many walls, how many drains; how many whatever you plan to do is going to be erected?

So, that we

know that at the end of the year, “ah ha yes, we said we were going to do fifty (50) of whatever it was and we have gotten fifty (50) of that done.

Achievable: How realistic is the goal. We are asking again for half a million dollars to do a Feasibility Study for Tobago Mariners. Right below in the same book they are asking for two million dollars ($2m.) to do a Feasibility Study on Cruise Ship Berths. One is Mariners, one is Cruise Ship Berth, one cost half a million dollars and one cost four times that. Is it really achievable to have any of those things done? By the way, we seem to have just learned a new word, or a new concept, “Feasibility Study”. I have counted, and this was just a cursory view, just looking through very quickly, at least ten (10) different instances where the term Feasibility Studies is being used to described what we are going to do. Each of them cost, except for the one that is half a million dollars, each of them cost two million dollars ($2m.). On average we are spending twenty million dollars ($20m.) next year on “Feasibility studies”. We need to know Madam Presiding Officer, what are you doing? Why this is so annoying, is that you have said you are just continuing on what was done for the last sixteen (16) years. You have been there, for the last sixteen (16) years, we should not now doing a feasibility study on all of those things. Remember you are going further, that is what you promised Tobago. You are going further, which means that

79 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. you did not know what happened for the last sixteen (16) years and you are now figuring out how to do it. We are now studying how to do it.

Then we have, “Relevant” going back to the SMART. Is it the right time? Does it match the current needs of the people who you are here to serve?

Madam Presiding Officer, given Tobago's economic standing (which the Minority Leader also corrected some of the information that was presented) you have to let us know that after you have spent as you say, five billion dollars ($5b.) are those activities the best activities for dealing with the Tobago economy that we are experiencing right now?

By the way, what about crime? Certainly, I hope someone will tell us what exactly is the plan for crime because I cannot remember and if I am incorrect, please correct me. I cannot remember seeing anything about that.

Hearing anything about what we plan to do and it is one of the issues that are very important to Tobagonians right now. Remember it is not “chicken feed” we are talking about it is five billion dollars ($5b.).

These objectives or these golds need to be time bound. When do we actually expect to get these results that you are talking about? Madam Presiding Officer, personally, I know of DP Programmes that have been on the DP books since I have been back in Tobago and that is at least ten (10)

80 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. years now and if you understand how the process works a DP Programme is supposed to be a very time bound one, a DP Project where you spend the money initially, you ensure that the projects starts off and then after you have done it for a couple years you do an evaluation and after that evaluation is done you are able to say okay, it is something that makes sense.

It is

something we will continue with, it is something that we will have staff for so and so forth and you carry that over to the Recurrent Budget because it is something that you have already gone through the process and it makes sense. Has this been happening? Not for any of the projects that I am personally aware of.

So, Madam Presiding Officer, I am asking, what exactly do they expect to get from this five billion dollars ($5b.)? The next step in the cycle is the doing step remember PDCA - the doing step. Madam Presiding Officer, this is where you actually implement the actual activities that we are talking about.

We have a track record of spending (what is it) over forty billion dollars ($40b.) in this Tobago House of Assembly and when people ask after sixteen (16) years, “What have you done, what have you gotten, where have you what?” We are still looking, we still give the same answers.

The Cultural Complex, the Library, it is the same answers and I have the feeling that because of all of the Feasibility Studies that we have been doing this year at the end of the seventeen (17) years with this PNM

81 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Administration the answer would still be the same. accustom to no doing.

Because you are

Somehow the money get spent but you are

accustomed to “no doing.”

Madam Presiding Officer, the third step is the one that relates to and I think the most important part of this process which has to do with how we actually evaluate what we do. I am going to outline four (4) different kinds of evaluations. I am taking time to talk about the process because we have been spending the money, we have been doing it and we have not been following through with the correct process which would explain why after forty billion dollars ($40b.) we still do not know what we have for all of that money spent. So the first of those is what is known as: •

A value process evaluation;

That Madam Presiding Officer is very simple. Are we doing what we said we were going to do? You said you were going to have ten (10) workshops.

Did you actually have ten (10) workshops? It is as simple as that.

The second one has to do with: 

Impact Evaluation;

This is where we seem to have a problem not just in Tobago, in Trinidad and Tobago.

82 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

When you look at the reports for the PSIPs and the SSIPs they tell you that one of the problems is that we do not know what we are getting after we spend all of this money.

Madam Presiding Officer, I know that for a fact, I was actually in the Division of Health and Social Services and I was the one responsible for pulling together a lot of the reports to send down for SSIP and PSIP so I know what I am talking about.

Impact Evaluation is where you

immediately see if the money you spent did anything. So we are going back to business, we are talking about developing businesses and so forth. You have just given somebody money or you have done a trading so that business people can improve their accounts. There needs to be a way a very set way, a very specific way of determining if at the end of the workshop, at the end of spending the billion dollars, at the end of spending the four million dollars ($4m.) that those people have actually learned what you said you were going to teach them. That needs to be outlined now because it is important for how the rest of the year rolls out.

Then there is the outcome. Those businesses in five/ten years are they still thriving? When we read about the GDP of Tobago in five/ten years from now how many of those businesses would be part of that process? It is important even though we are talking about five/ten years from now you have to build into the system now how we are going to collect that kind of data.

83 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, the fourth kind of evaluation is one that is very near and dear to my heart.

It is really looking at accounting for the

money that is spent. We have done it for the last sixteen (16) years. You heard the Auditor General's Report every year. We cannot actually do a report on Tobago because we do not know, we are not getting the information so there need to be specifically audited accounts for particularly those companies.

You see those things that we call "the Special Purposes Companies", I do not know, we seem to be using those as a way to get around having to follow the procurement process. I do not know. But we have all of these "Special Purpose Companies" that we keep giving money to every single year. However, when I looked at the Revenue Book, I specifically went looking for different Special Purpose Companies to see how much money they are actually making, how much money they are actually giving back to us.

You know that is important because for example, "The Milford Road Esplanade Company" whatever that is called, we are giving them or we are proposing to give them fifteen million dollars ($15m.). How much money did they make last year and the year before?

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We are going to give as is proposed the Fish Processing Company of Tobago (that is the one with the boat that nobody seems to be able to find) six point six million dollars ($6.6m.).

We are going to give according to the books, the Tobago Cassava Products Limited a million dollars ($1m.). The one (1) that seems to not be able to produce any kind of cassava products but we are giving them a million dollars ($1m.).

We are giving the Tobago Cold Storage and Warehouse Facility three point eight million dollars ($3.8m.).

The Cove Eco-Industrial and Business Park eighty-five point four million dollars ($85.4m.).

Now these companies they say, are the ones that should be making money for us but we do not know, we simply do not know because there are no audited accounts.

If there are, please stand on a Point of Order and let

me know and please hand over a copy of these the audited accounts for these Companies.

We also have the Venture Capital Fund Limited. The Tobago Information Technology Limited. The Pigeon Point Heritage Park that we know keeps hosting all of these big events and so forth. Please, for the sake of all of us, let us know.

85 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

By the way, as we are talking about money, (and again, I could be very wrong) I cannot remember seeing anywhere where we wrote about how much money is actually in the Consolidated Account. Maybe I did not so that is why I said if you could point to the page, Mr. Jack, please let me know I would appreciate that, how much money is actually in the Budget.

But I also would like to know because I remember hearing sometime ago at the end of every Budget period you would always hear about how much money has been left unspent. I have not heard anything about that so I am assuming that all of the money has actually been spent. Maybe it is there if I am wrong please point me to the page, I do not mind standing corrected.

Madam Presiding Officer, again, we are talking about these Special Purpose Companies and I know you probably going to tell me this one is not under your purview. But I remember there was an announcement about the Cabinet creating what is known as a “Golden Grove Buccoo Company Limited” to treat with this game changer that is called, “Sandals.”

This thing that is supposed to be like “manna from heaven” to save everything that we have going wrong in Tobago. We would like to have a little bit of information about that. We have gotten to the point now that we have been “beaten into submission,” so it happening, so apparently it

86 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. happened. But, it would be nice if somebody would actually state where is this hotel going to be? We seem to not be even be able to answer that particular question. So I am hoping, at least at the end of today, we would know where the hotel is going to be, and you would let us know if there are any agreements we should know about or anything like that. That would be nice, since this is going to be “manna from heaven” and it is going to save us.

Madam Presiding Officer, the last step of the PDCA Cycle is the one that refers to Acting. This is the one where you are supposed to because you were doing all of that evaluation over time, this is the one that you supposed to let us know, “Hey, you see that project that you are doing, stop, it is not really giving you the benefits you wanted to give so let us hold a little bit on that, tweet it a little bit, or start over. Let us do something else”. That is the acting part. Accessing, reassessing and determining whether what we have been doing makes sense. It is very, very obvious that from the last sixteen (16) years of failed projects, that we keep funding over and over and over again, and we have not been doing any of that last part which is saying “Hey, stop - let we figure out if this is really working and then go from there”.

So, Madam Presiding Officer, while listening to the Budget last week, when I said I got sick, is because you know what, I think what happened is that I started hearing all of the big words, big words, big words, that we keep saying and we are hoping that nobody does not notice a string of whole set

87 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. of big words together, it still does not make sense. Because, maybe I know that I have a little dictionary that I can find some of those big words, I have actually tried going back and looking at them to see what they actually mean. At the end of it, it still made no sense. It did not.

By the way, Tobagonians are not fooled. Tobagonians have not been fooled. They have not. They have been coming and they have been telling us and they have been commenting and they have been saying, it is not working. It is simply not working. They have not been fooled.

So Madam Presiding Officer, if we are saying and going back to some of the key pillars or key large broad categories that were highlighted before.

If we are talking about building economic resilience, then Madam Presiding Officer, we should have been focusing on ensuring that the private sector is a thriving private sector. Any economy that does not have a strong private sector is not a resilient economy. What we should have been doing is figuring out a way to transition some of those workers that we have the sixty (60), sixty-five (65), seventy (70) whatever is the number, percentage of workers of Tobagonians‌ [Interruption] No, no, no! I said transition, (and you need to allow me to finish the sentence), some of them into the private sector.

How?

Remember the private sector are saying that they need

workers, and we have all of them working early morning work for a whole days pay and when they try to get them they do not get them to work. So, we need to figure out a scheme to transition them by us in the government sector to the private sector who absolutely needs them.

That includes

88 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. training; that includes having apprenticeships kinds of things; that includes having some kind of partnered payment method where we may pay part of the salary and the private sector pays part of it. You see, we could talk about these things, because these were things that were raised by Members in the Chamber of Commerce. You see if you listen. [Interruption] Madam Presiding Officer, what has been happening instead however, is that what we have been doing and I have heard from several different people and I have seen it myself. We have a lot of the gangs and we are sending two or three of them in the same spot, or one here, one down there, one up here, and hoping that nobody notice that you have three (3) gangs working on the same street doing absolutely nothing.

Or, the other thing that we have been hearing about is that you have been sending people, people whose contracts have come to an end, you tell them to go home and wait for a call. The Administrator would call you and or whoever would call you, they have been waiting and waiting and waiting.

Instead of being honest, with the Tobago public and let them know exactly what you are doing. Up to today while sitting here, I got a message from somebody who said we really, really need to talk about it. They are one of them whose contract would be coming to an end just now and they really do not know what would happen and the number of those are so many. What you are doing in that instance, is creating a fear of the workers that again results in the level of unproductivity that we are currently seeing.

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Knowing that the bulk of the private sector currently, needs the air and sea bridge to survive Madam Presiding Officer, is one of the reasons, probably should be the main reason why the answers to the questions about the boat, whether is the cargo, whether is the passenger, or the answers to the questions about the flight. Those questions should have been top priority for this Tobago House of Assembly. [Desk thumping] The bulk of our needs comes from Trinidad and whether you want to agree with it or not, the fact that that has not been working the way it should, is the reason why the economy has been dwindling the way that it has. I actually have to ask my friends what is the busy season in Tobago?

At one point, it used to be

every weekend that it has a fete, every weekend that it has a lime. But now, we have a situation where Trinidadians are saying they are not even coming if there is a fete or a lime because they do not know how they would get back home. So, I am still trying to figure out when you say the boats are going to come for the busy season, what does that mean? Exactly when is that season going to come?

I understand that the Minister of Tourism I think, said that they are going to do something to ensure that Tobago has a greater say in how at least the Port Authority is run, but we all know that that is the same Minister of Transport that has been promising a boat. It is like a two (2) weeks, every time he speaks, it is two (2) weeks. So, I am not sure how many of us actually believe when he says that he is going to do something whatever it is to ensure that we have a greater say in that process. That is what we should have been talking about. How to ensure that the things that affect us

90 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. in Tobago are the things that are top priority for the Tobago House of Assembly.

Instead Madam Presiding Officer, we have been getting

apologies, apologies and imminent and whatever those words mean.

Madam Presiding Officer, if we were really, really, really interested in revitalizing the Agricultural Sector, then we would know that we should not be taking our most fertile lands which we keep doing and building houses on them. We talk about Courland… [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Member you have three (3) minutes left.

COUNCILLOR DR. F. B. YiSRAEL: … and the fact that we will be building houses in Courland.

I understand actually that is some of our

nicest, primest agricultural land. But in addition to that, Madam Presiding Officer, we would not be spending the largest bulk of our money what was it, eighty million (80m.) on what is known as, “Agricultural Access Roads”, when all of Tobago knows, and I have been told several stories, that when you say Agricultural Access Road, it is really another word for, “bobol; kickback; corruption; and thieving”. That is what it is. I will not call names, but you all know names that can be called. So no. If that is the most important thing, there considering what the Minority Leader spoke about in terms of the technology and so forth, that is needed there, “hey we are not really serious.”

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Madam Presiding Officer, if we had actually listened to the farmers we would know that it is absolutely, absolutely critical. One of their biggest issues is marketing. So we would be spending time and money and effort on revitalizing the Marketing Department to ensure that things that are made in Tobago are seen worldwide - all over the place because there are people who are willing to spend “top dollar” on items that have been made in Tobago.

We would be spending money on doing Research and Development and as the Minority Leader said that includes ensuring that we have top class institutions here on this island of Tobago. Top class institutions - one of them could be having the Kendal Farm School being the place of Agricultural Research and Development for the Caribbean. [Desk thumping] Madam Presiding Officer, as we talk about Tourism and Human Capital Development.

Again, it seems like Sandals is the only thing.

Sandals is again “manna from Heaven” that will save everything - save us all. Haven’t we learned from what happened with Hilton? Haven’t we learned from that?

Instead of telling us about how many “eggs” Sandals will need instead of doing that we should be rolling out a very Comprehensive Plan to ensure that the people of Tobago, the farmers the everybody, the fishermen, the everybody are really, really, really prepared for what Sandals will bring. By the way, that document was already done in collaboration with the Travel Foundation in 2004. There was a Comprehensive Document that talks about

92 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. what we need to do in Tobago to be prepared for these “All Inclusives” and it was completely ignored. [Interruption] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Councillor Dr. Yisrael your speaking time is up.

EXTENSION OF SPEAKING TIME Motion made: That the Member’s speaking time be extended by ten (10) minutes. [Mr. F. Augustine] Question put and agreed to.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: That speaking time is now been extended by ten (10) minutes.

COUNCILLOR DR. F. B. YISRAEL: Thank you.

That document was completely ignored. I have a copy of it if anyone needs a copy. Because it spoke about what the agricultural people needed to do to be prepared for Sandals. Spoke about what the fishing people needed to do; it spoke about all of those things - the Tour Guides what those people needed to do to be prepared for something like Sandals.

Instead, I remember 2004 was within your time and we had thirteen

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(13) years to prepare for this thing that is going to be manna from Heaven that you have simply ignored for the last thirteen (13) years and now you are going to try to - well I do not even know what you are trying to do we are still waiting for information so please let us know.

Madam Presiding Officer, we spoke about really doing Youth Development. Then what we would do is move very swiftly to ensure that the Tertiary Institutions in Tobago are local tertiary Institutions. And why is this important? Having actually taught at several of them I know for a fact that the Curriculum that is done at all of these schools do not really have Tobago and Tobago's development in mind.

See at a University, at a Tertiary Institution what is supposed to happen is the students are supposed to take the problems of the area that they live in and study it, come up with solutions within those kinds of institutions and then come out back with papers and those things.

The Tertiary

Institutions that we have in Tobago, those curricular they are not geared to what we need to do here. Therefore, if we were really interested in that kind of Youth Development and that kind of Human Capital Development we would be spending a lot more money.

I am glad you said that you would work on THTI because that is a very, very good start considering where we are heading with this tourism thing. But even that shows that we have not even really thought about what kind of teaching, what kind of development is really, really needed to make

94 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Tobagonians prepared for this wonderful Sandals that is going to come.

Because what you all seem to not be saying is that because we have wasted the last thirteen (13) years since that Travel Foundation Report came out, since we have wasted that time, and since the same Sandals is going to be coming any time now, the average man on the ground will not be prepared for that. What they will do like they have done in many other countries is yes, they have agreements that says, "We are going to buy from locals, we are going to hire locals and so forth." But they set the bar so high that even if you start that way a year later, two (2) years later the locals cannot compete, the locals have not met the standard to stay there and to keep working and then what they say is, okay, we tried, we tried to get the how many hundred eggs, we tried to get whatever, we cannot get them here so we will go somewhere else and you cannot stop them, you cannot do anything about it because we wasted under you the last thirteen (13) years getting prepared for this.

Madam Presiding Officer, and I am wrapping up I am not even going to take the whole ten (10) minutes.

It is very obvious, it is very sad, that

after being there for such a long time, after sitting back and promising Tobago that if you vote me, we will take you further, it is sad that we are simply going further into the dismal economic status that we have been in.

That is extremely, extremely sad. Because we “Hi, Tobago, we love all yuh and this is what we will do so that by 2030 we are going to be in a completely different position.�

95 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, it is sickening, it is sad, it is disappointing and all of those words because it is very obvious that you “guys” either do not know what you are doing or you know what you doing but you simply do not care about Tobago.

I thank you. [Desk thumping] MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Councillor Dr. Carrington. [Desk thumping] SECRETARY

OF

HEALTH

WELLNESS

&

FAMILY

DEVELOPMENT (Dr. Agatha Carrington): Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Members of this House, Members of the viewing gallery, the

Tobago population, the Trinidad and Tobago population, original partners, good afternoon.

I am pleased to participate in this discussion because it allows me to treat with those matters that have been accomplished within the last sixteen (16) years in Health and to look towards those areas that will be addressed during this fiscal period. So rather than dealing with sickness I am going to be dealing with wellness.

So, we intend to make Tobago the preferred

destination for Healthcare Delivery and much of which I will speak to will be some of the gains made notwithstanding the discourse about gains not being made.

96 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Madam Presiding Officer, in researching and a lot of discussions around researching and I am hearing about planning and we had a bit of lessons on that and a lot of teachers are plenty. Not many of those could boast of being Professors. So that let us not deal with teaching today let us deal with the facts of the matter.

With respect to work done by the Pan American Health Organization, (PAHO) Madam Presiding Officer - Trinidad and Tobago is experiencing an epidemiological transition where we see a decline in communicable diseases but a rising in non-communicable diseases and therefore, I will speak to wellness and not sickness.

Earlier, the Honourable Chief Secretary pointed to some of the things we can boast about but I will point to that in a little while. Good service delivery, Madam Presiding Officer is a vital element of any health system and so, as we seek to treat with service provision, financing stewardship and resource allocation let me just engage you for just a little bit.

We need to consider the social determinants, the political determinants and those determinants are important even the economic ones for a population of over sixty thousand (60,000). The network of Healthcare Delivery systems and the facilities through which we provide care are second to none and you can look at what is happening in Secondary Care at the Scarborough General Hospital.

So we have one General Hospital,

seventeen (17) Primary Care Centres and three (3) Outreach Centres.

97 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

We provide within the last sixteen (16) years and before a comprehensive range of Health Services. Services are accessible to all persons in our population. We have good coverage and so, whether you are sick or you are healthy, you can present for care. Our services are client centered, and so notwithstanding some challenges from time to time, we can still boast of good services being provided at some time. So, both Primary and Secondary Level there has improvement over the past sixteen (16) years. We continue to collaborate such that we can improve.

With respect to “Accountability and Efficiency” about which there was a bit of discourse. Let me just say for any sector that is a concern and so matters with respect of accountability and stewardship will continue to engage us as we seek to improve those areas. So too efficiency. What is important though, we give the assurance that we would continue in the interest of the Tobago population to improve any area in which it is deficient. Let us just look at the facilities just closer. The number of hospital beds in a country is an important factor in determining the health resources that is available to a population.

I looked at Japan and South Korea, they have the highest numbers of hospital beds per thousand, an average of nine point five six (9.56); OECD countries like Chile and Mexico two (2) and 1.68 respectively, United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada three point two six (3.26); two point nine five (2.95)’ and two point seven one (2.71); per thousand respectively. In the Caribbean, Caribbean average two point eight

98 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. nine (2.89); notwithstanding Barbados has seven point five six (7.56); and so in Tobago we have five (5) per thousand. Permit me to repeat five (5) per thousand, we are above the Caribbean average.

That is something that is

positive for us. Just looking in terms of the threshold requirements for the Health Sector and for all the people who pose as planners and who have not been trained to the level that they should be trained please note, the type of facility by population by service radius; General Hospitals, for a population of one hundred and fifty thousand, (150,000) four (4) beds per ten thousand (10,000), for a service radius of eighty (80) kilometers; for a Health Centre, for a population of twenty thousand (20,000); four point ten (4.10) beds for ten thousand (10,000) for a twenty-four (24) kilometres radius. So we could speak about successes within the past sixteen (16) years. So, permit me Madam Presiding Officer, to speak to the health agenda in the context of national agenda.

We have reviewed the existing situation, we have done that. We have looked at our Programmes and Services. We have conducted Situation Analysis and we are leveraging a few areas. We are not attempting to do all of it at one time, so we would be focusing on research. We will be focusing on decentralizing some services, one of which would be your Family Development. We are going to be enhancing our Health Services Delivery, we are going to strengthen our leadership on governance and we focus on improving public health response. Those are areas that we will be treating with. We did say earlier that we are attempting to leverage some areas this year.

99 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Now, with respect to “Research”. Often times I come to this House, we listen to old talk, we want to listen to data. It allows us to make more sense of what is happening. I heard about “Evidenced Based Decision Making”. This Division would focus on Evidenced Based Decision Making.

Madam Presiding Officer, data is important as we make decisions and so the data that we have gleaned from the process that we have engaged in, will support the plans and which plan the Budget provides the support for.

In that respect Madam Presiding Officer, we have expanded our Policy Research and Planning Unit because we want to determine the social and health needs of the Tobago population. We have established an end to the Registry, a Non Communicable Disease Registry. What that will do, that will provide a repository for health related data that is in the Budget. We want to be able to monitor what is happening in terms of diseases on this island. We have established a Research Ethics Committee. Such Committee will ensure that all on-going research is monitored and all on-going research meets ethical acceptability.

We have engaged with other Universities as we conduct research into Cancer. Let me say, that this is a concern for us because just looking at the data, we recognized whereas we were not paying attention to “Colon Cancer”, colon is an area that we must address now. Whereas we were focusing on prostate, and then we thought that we were looking at the breast,

100 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. we are now seeing some numbers increasing in colon cancer among our population on this island.

The other area that we want to leverage is that of “Family Development”. Most persons will know that we have branded the Division and we are speaking to Health, Wellness and Family Development. Family is important for us, the family is the bedrock of the society.

This

Administration is and in recognition of the need to support our families, we are paying attention to many areas, so our Gender Affairs Unit; our Community Social Work; they will all provide a suite of Services in a more coordinated way. Let me just speak as well to some of the coordination that we have enjoyed together with our partners in Community Development, Enterprise Development and Labour in that regard.

Madam Presiding Officer, over the past decade, the profile of our population here, as I said earlier had undergone some transition. We really wanted to look at what is happening there. We looked at the work of Caldwell Et al a 2006 Paper, and we recognized that there is an increase of over sixty (60) age group.

This change in age structure we think is

important for us to pay attention to. Therefore, we initiated measures to deal with issues of the:  Elderly;  Adolescent; and  Children.

101 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

With respect to the Elderly and the Aging, we have established an Aging Unit. Such Unit will provide support for persons in their homes and in their communities. Let me just speak as well of the work done by Jennifer Rouse in 2010 which spoke to the dynamics and consequences of population aging in Trinidad and Tobago, a call for responsible planning and sustainable development. That is an important piece of work and since we are talking about reading, we encouraged those on the other side to read that piece of work. What we are seeing though, is more than twelve (12%) of our population is over sixty (60). We note as well the leading causes of morbidity in this group are chronic non communicable diseases. We have looked at studies as well that point to those persons having:  Arthritis;  Eye problems;  Hypertension;  Diabetes; and all of those faced our elderly.

Loneliness is another area, and we know that we must address that.

Therefore our Geriatric and we say, “Golden Apple”, the Response Programme to that we want to ensure that those persons are properly supported. We want to provide medical and social support in their homes.

102 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

With respect to the other group in the family Madam Presiding Officer, Gender Based Violence is an area that we are addressing. So our Programmes for men, women, boys and girls need to be strengthened. We want to eliminate Gender Based Violence in our Society. We want this to stop. We want this no longer in our communities.

We will continue

sensitizing all in our communities including those on the other side such that we will eliminate Gender Based Violence.

With respect to differently-abled another group in our families. At the Fifth Edition of the Down Syndrome Conference, we gave the commitment that we will provide new accommodation and an improved services to that group of persons and we have done that. That is an achievement as well.

We want to seek these persons in everything that we plan, persons with disability; persons who are hearing impaired; persons who are blind; such that we can plan services that are responsive to their needs. For those who are not aware our Technical Vocational Centre, supports children who are differently-abled.

Madam Presiding Officer, we must protect our elderly and children.

Our elderly have contributed to the development of our society and for those persons who are in Homes, we have established Facility Review Committees. One Committee is going to be looking at the older person’s home the other for children. We want to ensure that these homes operate according to the established standard.

103 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

With respect to adolescent, we want to strengthen the Programmes for Adolescent Mothers or PAM. Our School Health Programme – that is an area that is going to be better resourced.

With respect to those children in schools we know that the schools continue to challenge us in terms of the support provided and therefore, we are collaborating with the Child Protection Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) such that we could bring about greater awareness in terms of child abuse and the like.

We are collaborating with the Children's Authority for the establishment of an Assessment Centre. This Assessment Centre we expect to be commissioned by September, 2017 and that we will have Child Support Centres established thereafter.

Just looking at the improvements with respect to Health Related Services. I mentioned earlier, that we are focusing on Wellness. Let me just summarize and share some of the improvements so that persons would not continue to be sick they will pursue wellness.

Family Care Services - we are combating NCDs. We are arranging an all out war against them. We want to ensure that our population becomes

104 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. healthy and so, we want to pay attention to those.

But let me just share

some statistics for the researchers on the other side.

Trinidad and Tobago is ranked highest of all the Caribbean countries in terms of Diabetes and please look at the data. The prevalence of diabetes in Trinidad and Tobago is eleven (11) to thirteen percent (11 - 13%). It is the third highest cause of mortality accounting for thirteen point six percent (13.6%) deaths and so, we have to pay attention to that. It is using up quite a lot of our resources and we want to pay some attention to that.

Madam Presiding Officer, Cardiovascular diseases is the highest ranking cause of deaths in Trinidad and Tobago accounting for twenty-five percent (25%) of all deaths annually.

High prevalence rates for Diabetes and Hypertension account for twenty percent (20%) and they are contributing factors along with overweight obesity and the like.

Heart disease, Cancer, Diabetes and CVAs account for sixty-two percent (62%) of all deaths.

Madam Presiding Officer, so grave is the problem that as far back as 2006 a National Symposium was held and we recalled the activities of the Port-of-Spain Declaration in that regard. Much has been done. Now our patients benefit from the CDAP Programme so it is free medication. But we

105 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. must in our Division and in our island address early detection and integrate our responses so that we become much more comprehensive as we respond to this situation.

Madam Presiding Officer, more importantly, we know the management of diabetes depends largely on the behaviours of our population and so persons with diabetes must change their lifestyles and adjust to a complex diabetes self-management regiment.

Madam Presiding Officer, but notwithstanding these challenges our teams in Primary Care have been making inroads with our Health Promotion and Disease Prevention agenda. We will continue to empower our patients, our clients to be very effective in terms of self-care.

At the individual and community level our Health Education efforts will continue. We will encourage persons to continue to exercise greater responsibility for their health as we reorganize our responses.

We are empowering our communities and involve the management of the health system. We are encouraging them to participate in shifting the model from sickness to wellness.

We are building alliances, Madam

Presiding Officer. We continue to collaborate with all partners in that regard.

We are creating supportive environments for them. Let me just point to one of the efforts we are making in schools.

106 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

We intend to launch shortly, our Healthy Eating in Schools Project which will take into account one high school and three (3) primary schools in Tobago. Soon we will approach other Divisions of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and the Private sector to create healthy work spaces. Our communities will be encouraged to use our parks and play grounds for play.

Just to Note the Executive Council has approved the establishment of a Health and Wellness Centre as part of our Health and Wellness Thrust. This Centre is expected to promote health and wellness. We focus on diabetes management, stroke management and the like.

So far we have established a site. The team is developing a plan, the things that many people pointed that we do not do and we expect to have Stroke and Diabetes Centre implemented by the first quarter of Fiscal 2017/2018.

In the matter of sustainable Public/Private Partnerships (PPP), the Executive Council also approved the development of a Palliative Care Centre and we will engage in a PPP as well for Cancer care on this island. I did say, Cancer was a priority.

Our Immunization targets and most people know that they are over ninety percent (90%) but we want to maintain those targets.

107 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

With respect to the plan of action, the Primary Care Team will be focusing on risk factor reduction, management of our NCDs, monitoring of:   

Our services; Governance and Policy; and Advocacy.

Madam Presiding Officer, just quickly in terms of Risk Factor Reduction. Our efforts will include promoting physical activity and promoting healthy foods. So we will support access to healthy foods in collaboration with the agriculture and other sectors. Let us just look as well in terms of the other priority that we will want to treat with.

We will want to support the marketing, the reduction of high fats and sugar and high salt in our foods. We will pursue access to health education for children along the life course.

The next Priority Area that we will focus on in terms of Primary Care, let me just say that the comprehensiveness with which we respond is important. We will improve on strengthening existing programmes like:   

The ELC; The Sexual Health Adolescent; HIV Contact tracing.

We will continue our collaboration with Family Planning Association with respect to sexual and reproductive health:

108 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

 Our Community Health Initiative will continue;  Our Men's Health Initiative will continue; and  Our Community Young Women's Programme will also continue.

We will examine the extent to which we are adhering to CHRC guidelines for treatment and support for Diabetes and Hypertension. We will strengthen our screening programmes in the community. We will strengthen early detection and treatment for many of the priority diseases.

Madam Presiding Officer, we wish to reduce the admissions to hospitals for heart attacks and strokes by thirty (30%) percent. When I looked at the data in 2016 alone we had one hundred and sixty-eight (168) persons presenting with strokes and that is a cause for concern.

Madam Presiding Officer, we also propose to decrease diabetes amputations by twenty (20%). The numbers are quite high. For 2016/2017 we already had forty-six (46) amputations that is a cause for concern and we intend to address those areas.

With respect to the third area the Primary Care team would be looking at and of course, we mentioned that we already have our NCD Registry approved. We will promote and strengthen our capacity for surveillance of NCDs.

109 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

An area that was not looked at a lot - Mental Health.

Our Mental

Health and Outreach Programme and our Mental Health and Wellness Clinic will continue to facilitate referrals to the nearest health centres. But there are expansions and that was pointed to earlier. The extended hours in three (3) health centres will recommence:  Canaan;  Scarborough; and  Roxborough.

Roxborough, the service will extends to 8.00 p.m. But new services will be added:  A Pain Management Clinic;  Screening for Diabetes;  Eye disease.

All of these will happen in the extended hours programme. We already recruited additional staff to support those extended hours that being a challenge why the service was curtailed.

In terms of infrastructure, the Moriah and the Roxborough Urgent Care Centres those form part of a Budget and we look forward to the early commencement of the Moriah firstly, Moriah Health Centre followed by the commencement of the Roxborough Urgent Care Centre.

110 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

With respect to Secondary Care, further to the re-alignment of the sub specialties we are benefitting from some improvements with respect to our patients encounters.

Madam Presiding Officer, in terms of Impatient Service, we note a decrease in time weight time in our ER and that we know would continue to improve as we seek to move those persons who now wait on our ER as they go to Canaan, Roxborough and Scarborough for non-emergency care.

Internal Medicine:

We could boast of a successful partnership

between Medicine and Nursing for Warfarin Clinics.

We are going to

strengthen our Nurse Led Palliated Care Service; our Cat Lab is expected to be reviewed; our Oncology Service will be expanded; In terms of Surgery - our Vascular Clinic - our renal patients who now are compromised requiring AB fistulas or graphs, they can now look forward to a more comprehensive and predictable service through the engagement of a Vascular Surgeon.

With respect of Orthopedics Service - we now have Joint Replacement that would be available to us early 2018, and that is not now available.

111 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Pediatrics - screening for sickle cells disease. This is a service that is not available in any other hospital that I know and that Tobago is doing this already.

We expect to continue our Satellite Clinic at Canaan twice monthly.

Ophthalmology - the service is second to none, the equipment is all of international standard and we expect to continue maintaining that standard.

With respect to our Blood Transfusion Service - we encouraged persons to become voluntary blood donors so as to boost our supply.

With respect to Obstetric Care - we are integrating the care of our pregnant mothers between Secondary and Primary care. We expect to have this fully implemented by the beginning of 2018. Let me just say of a project that we could speak to now.

The Maternity Ward at Scarborough General and Buccoo Health Centre commenced a Pilot Project where we introduced Prenatal Information System, we expect to be able to compare our data about Pregnancy and Childbirth with respect to that. This is a first in terms of the history of the Regional Health Authority that this has been done.

Madam Presiding Officer, still on some improvements when we took a snapshot of May and June of this year, we noted an adjustment in terms of

112 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. the code of practice, we noted a reduction in the number of C-Sections from thirty-three point eight (33.8%) to thirteen point three (13.3%).

Madam Presiding Officer, we will soon implement ultra sound in one Health Centre within the next fiscal period.

With respect to our patient’s service, notwithstanding some inefficiencies that exists in terms of the availability of the records whenever you present for care, we expect to address those, but we note still that we have had over forty thousand (40,000) persons visiting the Out Patient Clinic last year.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: Member, you have about four (4) minutes left.

HON. DR. A. CARRINGTON:

With respect to Leadership and

Governance, the matter of Leadership must be addressed as we continue to speak to our agenda. So, we understand that the role and function must be addressed, we will work towards building relationships as we make sense of what we do. The matter of governance is a key area that we must strengthen because we must hold persons to account.

We must account for our

stewardship.

Madam Presiding Officer, in terms of Management, the void in Health Administration and Service Coordination is to be filled through the approval

113 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. of the Executive Council and the early recruitment of those persons to fill those positions. We expect that the improvement on the Health Care Administration and the Monitoring and Evaluation of Services will be strengthened.

Madam Presiding Officer, we are mapping a road to Accreditation, and so all areas are presently reviewing and documenting their standing operating procedures and protocols as we seek to have our hospital accredited within one (1) year.

With respect to the transfer of patients - we intend to continue monitoring these transfers so we reduce the unnecessary expenditures to Private Institutions.

We continue to build our capacity Madam Presiding

Officer, in terms of training our professionals such that they would be better equipped.

With respect to our Public Health Division - we intend to review and re-established the role of the County Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) according to the policy guidelines. We will continue our sensitization in terms of understanding our environment and taking care of our environment and preventing Vector Borne Diseases.

Our Public Health Services, we will continue to build the capacity of that staff to respond to the needs of our population. But more importantly

114 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. though, Madam Presiding Officer, we will establish a Laboratory Service for Food and Water quality testing in Tobago which is not now available.

Madam Presiding Officer, we would establish a Crematorium because we want to provide our population with other options which may be required when they have somebody who have passed on.

Finally, Madam Presiding Officer, on average the Tobago Health Sector has performed reasonable well, but there is much more to be done to deliver on its mandate. We will accelerate our plans in terms of service excellence and service quality. We will improve incorporate effectiveness.

The number of beds per thousand is above the Caribbean average, our hospital is pursuing accreditation by 2018; our expenditure has increased over the years but we will explore value for money. We will turn the System in a way that has not been experienced before such that wellness is the focus and not sickness.

Madam Presiding Officer, for those who are already ill, we will provide high quality care to them at hospital, we invite those on the other side, those who have been accustomed to hiding in our hospitals, we invite you to come again.

Madam Presiding Officer, for families, we will assist in improving their quality of life through supporting their physical; functional; social;

115 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. physiological; and emotional domains. Our families will experience these changes as their lives will be improved.

Our Community Based Services would be more proactive and more collaborative as they engage other sectors thereby intervening to address these circumstances that may arise.

Madam Presiding Officer, Members of this House, our teams in both Primary and Secondary Care are committed to making each station encounter a high quality one.

This investment in the Health of the

population must yields returns in a healthier Tobago people, our population in Tobago demands and will experience no less.

I thank you. [Desk thumping]

The sample size for the Budget Survey was six hundred and forty-three (643) persons. They will tell you that that is more than an adequate sample size in terms of surveys. The budget consultations that we undertook, it was:  The Chamber;  Agro-processors;  The Agro Society;  Youth Organizations; and  The Tourism Sectors.

116 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

It is on Hansard, it is on record that it was said that the persons in the sectors were unhappy with the budget.

I looked at the responses from the

Agricultural sector, they were happy about it.

The Chamber as well, they indicated the only concerns that they had would have been for a little bit more information on the Fast Ferry. The Chief Secretary provided that information and myself. We clarified that in the Budget as well. So, please again Madam Presiding Officer, another misleading statement from the Minority side.

On a positive note, you heard one or two nuggets from the Minority Leader, when you check back it would have been statements either in the budget crafted another way, or statements that he picked up from the Chief Secretary that he certainly adopted and embraced as him. So those are one or two nuggets. I could be magnanimous as well. Again, I commend you for them. Now, you made a point that there should be an introduction of the Tobago Export Agency to deal with trade in Tobago, that was outlined in my Budget to deal with “Trade and Export� under the Settlement Development Unit in the Division of Finance and the Economy. Again, I commend him, but we mentioned it in the budget, you just took it and you crafted it another way.

Madam Presiding Officer, and just to clarify the point on the survey, the demographics, we surveyed across all of Tobago and from varied walks of life. So I am not sure what you are talking to, it might be your supporters, I am not sure who you are talking to.

117 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

In terms of data survey information, we pride ourselves on the integrity of data [Desk thumping] Councillor Dr. Agatha Carrington also echoed those sentiments and I make it a “pet peeve” to fact check everything that we put in the Budget Statement. This is not guess work and we are not doing this to score political points because we are serious about the people’s business.

Madam Presiding Officer, let me say, this is my Fifth Budget presentation. But you know you get so accustomed to a certain way of doing things. When you compare the past with the present, sometimes you get to appreciate the need to have some things just as the way they were. Mr. Andre Tanker who said, “Bring back the old time days”. So, it is a warning to Members opposite. I think we have the old time days come back again, and then we shall have some fresh debate.

While we did not have a

dissenting voice, the level of intellectual debate and discourse as we mapped out, identified the plans for the people of Tobago, it was rich. I want to thank the Members on this side, I know you are prepared, I know some of you are eager and ready to debate [Desk thumping] but I bring this session to a close.

I want to again thank all the persons who would have participated in the budget survey, the consultations. I want to thank the hard working staff of the Division of Finance and the Economy and the Divisions of Planning.

118 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

We have spent many long hours, many days, many nights, many weekends and as well as the Administrators and the rest of the team. What I can boldly say, is just as we had the previous term, we have another “Dream Team” willing and ready to take Tobago to the next level as we unleash the creative and productive capacity of our people for 2017 and onwards. [Desk thumping] Just to clarify one final point, in terms of, I think I said I could be magnanimous, but you know and again when you hear some things positive on the other side, it would have been statements that we made that they coined. In terms of the Budgeting and the Planning Model, I indicated that we are going to undertake a review of the CEDP it is in the budget and just to outline in detail. We will undertake a review of how far that we have moved along in development trajectory to assess the constraints and so on.

So, if the fact that it might have been missed, in the perusals. Members on the other side just perusing the document and not going through the document in some detail, I would understand that challenging in terms of some of the points that we were hearing.

While the Minority Leader would have afforded us an opportunity of some of his nocturnal activities and nocturnal dreams, the only nightmare I might have been able to deduce from this Budget, this excellent Budget Statement would have been how am I going to craft a response to “punch some holes” in this Budget Statement? So I can understand the nightmares

119 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. that‌ [Desk thumping] [Laughter] But again thank you Chief Secretary, thanks to all the team and a well-crafted Budget Statement.

Madam Presiding Officer, let me say that thank you again, and I beg to move.

Madam Presiding Officer, I kindly ask that we revert to the Committee stage, as we shall classify the documents before us that we tabled earlier in the sitting on Thursday.

Budget Statement Debate 2017/2018 (Cont'd)

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER: The sitting of the House will now be suspended to revert to the Finance Committee for the final deliberations before the motion is moved.

3.20 p.m.: Sitting suspended.

3.22 p.m.: House in Committee

HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

120 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

HON. J. JACK:

Thank you Ladies and gentlemen, shall we proceed to

Roman numeral v, Item 1 of the Draft Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure looking at Item 1 the first item for consideration is Assembly Legislature.

I propose that the sum of Twenty-eight million, forty-two thousand, two hundred and two dollars ($28,042,202.00) set out in the Estimates for Assembly Legislature be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 2 - Recurrent Expenditure with respect to the Office of the Chief Secretary in the sum of two hundred and twenty-seven million, five hundred and seventy-eight thousand, three hundred and thirty-eight dollars ($227,578,338.00) that this sum be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 3 - the amount of one hundred and eighty-four million, fifty-six thousand, five hundred and twenty-seven dollars ($184,056,527.00) reflecting the Recurrent Estimates for the Division of Finance and the

121 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Economy that this sum be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 4 reflecting Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries in the sum of three hundred and twentyfour million, nine hundred and eighty-nine thousand and twenty-eight dollars ($324,989,028.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 5 reflecting Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation in the sum of three hundred and fifty-five million, four hundred and eighty-six thousand, two hundred and sixty-three dollars ($355,486,263.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

122 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Item 6 - the Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Education, Innovation and Energy in the sum of four hundred and ninety-eight million, one hundred and forty-five thousand, five hundred dollars ($498,145,500.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 7 - Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Community Development, Enterprise Development and Labour in the sum of one hundred and ten million, nine hundred and seventy-five thousand, two hundred and sixty-five dollars ($110,975,265.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 8 - Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment in the sum of five hundred and thirty-nine million, five hundred and fifty-eight thousand, six hundred dollars ($539,558,600.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

123 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Item 10 - Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development in the sum of seven hundred and ninety-four million,

fifty-two

thousand,

four

hundred

and

eighty-six

dollars

($794,052,486.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 11 - I wish to propose that the Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Settlements, Urban Renewal and Public Utilities in the sum of thirty-five million, three hundred and twenty-two thousand, nine hundred and forty-four dollars ($35,322,944.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Item 13 - I wish to propose that the Recurrent Expenditure for the Division of Sport and Youth Affairs in the sum of ninety-nine million, seven hundred and ninety-nine thousand, seven hundred and thirty-two dollars ($99,799,732.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

124 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

I propose that under Recurrent Expenditure, the sum of three billion, one hundred and ninety-eight million, six thousand, eight hundred and eighty-three dollars ($3,198,006,883.00) be included as part of the Overall Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

I would be grateful if we can turn to the Draft Estimates detail of Expenditure Development

Programme.

Shall we proceed to Roman

numeral (v) in the Development Programme Estimate?

I propose under Investment that the sum of Five million dollars ($5m.) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: The sum of five million dollars ($5m.) would now form part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

I propose under Productive Sectors the amount of twenty million dollars ($20m.) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister Finance.

125 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: It is carried and now forms part of the Schedule.

I propose for Economic Infrastructure that the sum of seven hundred and thirty eight million, two hundred and forty seven thousand, nine hundred and seven dollars ($738,247,907.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: It is carried and now forms part of the Schedule.

With respect to Social Infrastructure I propose that the sum of six hundred and fifty-two million, seventy-seven thousand, eight hundred and fifty-two dollars ($652,077,852.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: It now forms part of the Schedule.

I propose that under the Multi-sectorial and Other Services under the Development Programme that the amount of two hundred and ninety-three

126 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. million, eight hundred and seventy-seven thousand, five hundred dollars ($293,877.500) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

I propose that for the Overall Development Programme, the sum of one billion, seven hundred and nine million, two hundred and three thousand, two hundred and fifty-nine dollars ($1,709,203,259.00) be included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

I will ask us to turn to Page 70 of the Development Programme Estimates.

Estimates for the Unemployment Relief Programme, I wish to

have the provision for URP included in the amount of seventy-seven million, two hundred and four thousand, five hundred and fifty dollars ($77, 204,550.00) that this being included as part of the Schedule to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

127 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

HON J. JACK: It now stands as part of the Schedule.

Please turn to Page 72 under the Development Programme Estimates.

I propose to have the sum included in the Schedule in the amount of fifty four million, one hundred and forty-five thousand, five hundred and seventy dollars ($54,145,570.00) being included as part of the Schedule for the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) to the Minister of Finance.

Question put and agreed to.

HON. J. JACK: This also forms part of the Schedule.

Thank you very much Colleagues. I will like to call this session back to Order.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

3. 38 p.m.: Sitting resumed.

HON. J. JACK: Thank you very much Madam Presiding Officer, I am pleased to report that the Committee has met and approved all the items

128 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m. included within this Schedule for the Tobago House of Assembly’s Draft Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure for Fiscal 2017/2018.

Similarly, approval was given for all items under the Development Programme as well as the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme.

Madam Presiding Officer, I wish to thank you very much and all Members for attending the Committee sitting.

I thank you.

MADAM PRESIDING OFFICER:

Members, the Motion has been

carried that the House approved the Draft Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure respecting all functions of the Tobago House of Assembly for the final year October 01, 2017 to September 30, 2018. Copies of which were laid on the table at an earlier stage of the proceedings.

I thank you all for participating in the 2018 Budget.

ADJOURNMENT Motion made: That this House now stand adjourned to a date to be fixed [Hon. K. Des Vignes] Question put and agreed to.

129 2017.06.27 ES 10.00 – 10.10 a.m.

House adjournment accordingly.

Adjourned at 3.42 p.m.