Young: Stick with the PNM

SEETA PERSAD

Member of Parliament for Port-of-Spain North/St. Ann’s West, and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Stuart Young told Pointe-a-Pierre constituents it is extremely important for the ruling People’s National Movement to win back the seat in the next general election. Young was addressing a PNM annual constituency conference on Sunday evening where he told party faithful to stay focused and never lose hope in the government. The conference was held at the Union/Claxton Bay Secondary School. “We all had high expectations coming into office after the general elections in September, 2015,” Young said.

“But you have to consider the fact that when we assumed office, we found every single overdraft at its maximum level. “Therefore, we did not have much to work with.” Young said Point-a-Pierre can boast of the Trinidad Cement Limited, the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the Point-a-Pierre refinery. “These energy sector assets kept us afloat and prosperous.” He told party supporters there has been a drastic drop in revenues from oil and gas between 2014 and when the PNM assumed office in 2015.

“In other words, for every hundred dollars we had before, we now have eight dollars to spend.”

He accused the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government of spending billions in savings, stripping the National Gas Company of $14 billion to $16 billion and also borrowing billions of dollars more.

Young told the audience despite this, the PNM did not sit back but instead worked towards stabilising the energy sector and negotiating energy sector contracts that have expired.