BUDGET BY THE PEOPLEBy COREY CONNELLY Sunday, June 13 2010
For the first time in Trinidad and Tobago’s political history, the new People’s Partnership Government intends to convene a meeting of young people, seeking their views on what should be included in the upcoming annual budget, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran said yesterday. This will be part of a concerted effort by the new Government to have all-inclusive discussions on the National Budget before bringing it to the Parliament.
“For the first time, we shall have a special session for the young people of Trinidad and Tobago to be engaged in the process. And today (yesterday), I will use this opportunity in Tunapuna to invite all those young people to come together and to participate in a session that we shall call shortly so that you can make a difference in your ideas on what you feel Trinidad and Tobago needs in this process,” Dookeran announced while delivering the feature address at the formal opening of the Tunapuna Partnership Council, Eastern Main Road, El Dorado.
Dookeran, the Tunapuna MP, said a public announcement would soon be made on the ground-breaking development.
“Change does not come simply by saying it. Change comes by doing it. And doing it is what I will continue to do,” he said amid loud cheers from the audience, most of whom were activists and constituents.
Several Congress of the People members, including attorney Vernon De Lima, former national security minister Joseph Toney, and former president of the Public Services Association Clyde Weatherhead attended the event.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nizam Mohammed and former attorney general Anthony Smart were also present. Dookeran’s announcement came exactly one week after he revealed that the Government would be faced with some challenges in charting the country’s economic future.
He had, however, assured that the Government would still be able to fulfil its promises to the people, which were made during the campaign in the run-up to the May 24 General Election.
Yesterday, the former Central Bank Governor told his audience that he had already begun the process of formulating the new fiscal package, but was forced to revamp the process which had been adopted by the former PNM administration.
Dookeran, who has been meeting with the ministry’s technocrats, said unlike the PNM, the People’s Partnership intended to democratise the process through dialogue with business and labour leaders, civil society representatives and housewives.
“I have begun the process of charting the new budget for Trinidad and Tobago and already we have designed a new approach and I have had discussions with all those in the Ministry of Finance, who in the past, have gone through an exercise which they call a consultation,” he said.
“What they (PNM) called consultation was simply hearing what they have to say, not listening to them and doing what you want to do.
“So, I have told them that my first task is to redesign the consultation process. We can change this name to the dialogue process because we want to begin dialogue with all the stakeholders in the country. Regrettably, we have to do this rather quickly, but we shall commence a new dialogue process with all the stakeholders in the country.
“Those stakeholders will, of course, come from the business sector, the labour sector, civil society and the household sector.”
Acknowledging that expectations were high for a speedy delivery, Dookeran vowed to honour the pledge of the Tunapuna manifesto, through the Partnership Council.
One of the first items on its agenda, he said, would be to publicly honour the contributions of the district’s outstanding citizens.
These include late scholar and economist Lloyd Best, former PNM MP Eddie Hart, surgeon Dr Vijay Narinesingh, calypsonian Edwin “Crazy” Ayoung, renowned pianist Winnifred Atwell and businessman Chanka Seeteram.
Dookeran said the People’s Partnership, a coalition of four Opposition forces, represented a new call to duty.
“We know that we must build a transparent Government, a new kind of Government in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. “What we have done is broken the politics of the past and embraced a new politics of the future. It is a feat that history must recognise for years to come.”
In an earlier address, historian Dr Brinsley Samaroo gave an overview of the concept for the Tunapuna Partnership Council. He said although the organisation was non-partisan in structure, attempts would be made to break up the Partnership.
“We have to watch that,” he said, urging constituents to assist in easing Dookeran’s burden in his dual role as finance minister and MP.
Samaroo said the Council would comprise an executive and what he referred to as service desk, which would listen to the complaints of constituents.
