Page 4 - PNM General Election 2020 Manifesto

pandemic and be ranked first in the world in decisions are made and actions taken by the
MESSAGE FROM
Dr. the Honourable Keith
Christopher Rowley
Political Leader of the People’s
National Movement
I am truly pleased and honoured on behalf of the The current situation with the Covid-19 Pandemic
People’s National Movement to present to you has made our circumstances even more difficult,
our innovative and forward-looking Manifesto for but as we demonstrated in 2016 when the price
the upcoming August 10, 2020 General Election. of oil crashed, we in the PNM have the expertise,
the experience, the institutional memory and
knowledge, resilience and capability to weather
and survive an economic storm.
As you will appreciate, the last five years have
been very challenging. Under very difficult Now, we are faced with the double shock of an oil
economic circumstances, my Government has and gas price collapse caused by a price war
led a strong transformative effort to rebuild our among the world’s largest producers and a global
economy and to restore a system of good values recession caused by the worldwide public health
and faith in our public institutions. Although our restrictions arising from Covid-19.
current resources are inadequate to meet all of
the needs and demands of our citizens, we are However, this country has demonstrated time
confident that collectively and with appropriate and time again that when it is under pressure, it
sacrifice we are achieving the desired results and rallies and overcomes its problems, however
are putting our country on a path of economic insurmountable they may appear. Crises truly
growth and human development. bring out the best in us, as is the case at the
present time, as we show the world how a little
country with just 1.3 million people can perform
beyond expectations in dealing with a global
PNM THE RIGHT CHOICE ON AUGUST 10 People’s National Movement Manifesto 2020 1 PNM THE RIGHT CHOICE ON AUGUST 10
terms of the systems we have put in place to Government in the best interest of all concerned.
prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to
protect and support our population and to Our approach to governance in our next term will
provide the required fiscal stimulus to keep our pay due attention at all times to the need for
people in jobs and the economy moving. compassion and the respect for the rights and
freedoms of all citizens in all matters. Most
We met a crisis when we took office in importantly, we recognise that we must diversify
September 2015 – a crisis spawned by a
our economy away from overdependence on oil
combination of external and domestic factors. and gas. To achieve this our Roadmap to
The collapse of global oil and gas prices in the Recovery Report provides us with key areas of
period 2014-2015 was a major shock which stimulus and growth in agriculture,
triggered a sudden and drastic decline in manufacturing, construction, tourism, non-oil
Government revenue, which had a domino effect industry, arts and culture, the digital age, and
throughout the economy. The management of services of all kinds, including financial services,
the economy also had to consider the negative medical services and Information and
consequences of the irresponsible and reckless Communication Technology
economic policies pursued by the previous
administration over the period 2010 to 2015. May I also present to you our 41 outstanding
candidates who are drawn from all sectors of our
However, our mandate was clear. We were society and represent the highest ideals and
required to provide the country with an honest, qualities of our people, and possess the integrity,
clean and transparent Administration; revitalize competence and commitment required of
an economy after several years of economic elected representatives.
stagnation; and repair the fiscal accounts, which
were seriously damaged by wasteful expenditure May God bless you all and may God bless our
even as revenues deteriorated as a result of Nation.
adverse commodity price shocks. We were also
mandated by the people of Trinidad and Tobago
to re-establish confidence and trust in the
management of the country’s business.
Over the last four years, we have strengthened
and adjusted the economy’s capacity to react to
adverse shocks and circumstances. We have
stabilized and restored self-sustaining growth in
the economy and very importantly, we have
created significant employment opportunities.
Where specific details of individual policy are not
covered in this Manifesto, we will rely on the
policy prescriptions in our comprehensive
Roadmap to Recovery Report and in our Vision
2030 Document.
In summary, we in the PNM envision a society
where integrity and morality in public life are of
the highest priority and the Government serves
the public good above all else, and where
People’s National Movement Manifesto 2020 2