Hinds motivated by new President

MINISTER in the Office of the Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds lamented what he described as TT’s poor economic condition and urged companies and private citizens to do their part in helping the government remain afloat as it continues to navigate tough financial times.

At the rebranding ceremony for the Vehicular Management Corporation of TT (VMCOTT), at the corporation’s Beetham compound yesterday, Hinds said while he was concerned about the poor returns on investment, he was optimistic that the rebranding would yield long-term results. Citing remarks made by President Paula-Mae Weekes at her inauguration ceremony on Monday, he encouraged citizens to give value for money and pay what is owed to the government and said the time had come for relieving government of its subvention to VMCOTT.

“In case it escaped you, mother Trinidad and Tobago, her accounts in the treasury and so on, are not the way they used to be. Things are particularly bad. The remarks made by the President yesterday resonated deeply in my soul, in particular when she told us that we ought not to despair. Trinidad is the idea of good ideas, good things having gone bad, but they were originally good ideas and good things.

So yesterday when she told us to do some work and give value for money, I found that very inspiring indeed.”

He also called on the private sector to heed the new President’s message of hard work and productivity to revitalise the nation. He said in the past, citizens and companies relied heavily on the State as a buffer, but it was time for private entities to pay the fair share of resources provided by the government.

“Today we are now faced with a situation where, with expenditure projected at $50 billion and projected revenue at $35 billion, there is a $15 billion gap, and why?

We were in many cases, as Madam President told us yesterday, underproductive, because the State picked up the gap, because we knew the treasury was there, the mother was there. Today she (the State) is no more.”

Hinds said he was generally optimistic about VMCOTT’s rebranding and it offered great potential to consumers, citing the proposed autostop and CNG auto shore service brands, which target the private and public sectors respectively.