T&T – PM Rowley says State of Country Better Than Many Others

According to the prime minister, Trinidad and Tobago’s economic situation and standard of living are both superior to that of many similar nations, including neighboring Caribbean states.

On October 10, 2024, he participated in the House of Representatives’ budget discussion.

“The Government has done a wonderful job. We have been managing a very difficult period.”

In response to opponents who called Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) a hellhole, Dr. Rowley pointed out that the country is ranked well on the human development index by international agencies.

“T&T ranks number 60 on this scale of the countries around the world.”  PM Rowley revealed that T&T’s rating is 0.814.

He added, “That, on the system, is very high human development, which means life expectancy, access to education, health care, and income distribution and so on. All of these things are put together to determine what goes on in a country and the quality of life.”

According to him, Barbados is ranked 62, the Bahamas is ranked 57, Belize is ranked 118, and Jamaica is ranked 115. T&T is ranked at 60. He continued, pointing out that despite a 200 percent inflation rate, Argentina’s quality of living was rated 48th internationally.

“Judge us by how well we are doing compared to others.”

In addition, Rowley included T&T’s economic metrics in comparison to others. He contrasted Jamaica’s GDP growth of 1.8% and Barbados’ 3.7% with T&T’s 1.9% growth. Trinidad and Tobago is “booming at 33 percent,” Antigua is at minus 2.8 percent, while the three Gulf States that rely on hydrocarbons are each at 1.2–2.0 percent.

“So that indicator tells us we are doing something good.”

Out of a list of 18 comparable nations, the PM claimed that T&T had the lowest inflation rate, at 0.4 percent.

He made a positive comparison between T&T’s 5.4% unemployment rate and the Bahamas’ 8%, Barbados’ 8.2%, and the average of 8.0 percent for a group of eighteen nations.

“We manage pretty decently, with the rest,” Rowley said.

He praised T&T’s per capita income as well, stating that it had recovered from a decline in 2020 that he blamed on the COVID-19 epidemic.

“That is good realism, a good situation, a good performance.”

Rowley claimed that the opposition’s comments on the reorganization of Atlantic LNG revealed their ignorance of the fact that T&T was not the owner of Trains Two or Three.

While the PM claimed that Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee had been scrutinizing the Dragon agreement, which would have provided T&T with natural gas from Venezuela the government had kept the public updated at every stage of the process. He defended his visit to BP in Houston, Texas, in response to criticism from the opposition on his foreign travels, stating that negotiations between BP in T&T and the National Gas Company (NGC) had collapsed, putting the Point Lisas Estate in jeopardy.

“We did not go to Houston to negotiate any gas price.”

“Why is that so difficult for you to understand?” he questioned the Opposition. “Either you are dumb or you are wicked.”

Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George was informed by Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh of his complaint, and she responded by telling him to “continue, prime minister.”

“Point proven!” Rowley sneered.

Using the opportunity, Rowley defended the property tax’s continued application by pointing out that the previous People’s Partnership government’s exemption had run out in 2015. Accusing the PP of setting the tax at seven percent (which was never collected), he added that although his government had set the levy at two percent of rentable value, the opposition was “mischievous underminers.”

Subsequently, Rowley explained how the Prime Minister’s mansion was financed, ostensibly mocking Winston Dookeran, the head of the Congress of the People, who had suggested that it be used as a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

“The Prime Minister’s residence is not a home for battered women. It is a home to house the Prime Minister of T&T.”

According to Rowley, the PM’s house and the Diplomatic Center were operated for over $170 million during the PP administration between 2010 and 2015, but only $52 million under his government from 2015 to 2020.

According to him, the $170 million was made up of $48 million for events and $122 million for running costs. He said that the $52 million was made up of $42 million and $9 million for the corresponding amounts made by his administration.