By Lara Pickford-Gordon Thursday, September 9 2010

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley said Government’s plan to bailout Colonial Life Insurance Company Ltd (Clico) was “interesting” considering that the while in opposition the United National Congress held a different view.

Rowley told Newsday, “When the crisis confronted us as opposed to sitting back in retrospect after we saved ourselves from the economic implosion they can come now say, ‘Oh that was badly handled.’ Why didn’t they say so in the Parliament when we (PNM) were doing it.”

He said everyone realised if Clico was not bailed out the economy would have gone “on the skids.”

Speaking to media in the Parliament Chamber he said there were three areas which were very definitive in the Budget presentation: the Government’s treatment of the Clico, the Hindu Credit Union and the database promised for the motor vehicle department.

Rowley said he was “extremely disappointed” and unimpressed with the 2011 Budget presentation by Finance Minister Winston Dookeran which had as its theme: “Facing the Issues: Turing the Economy Around.”

He said, “It was very mundane. It was very pedestrian it simply was a rehash of the cliched proposals that have formed parts of budgets.” According to Rowley persons familiar with the national budget presentations would recognise the cliches, “the CNG, small business, agriculture comments.”