PM picks group to plan for TT after

THE PRIME Minister has assembled TT's very own covid19 Avengers, announcing the team charged with charting the country's roadmap to recovery. Chaired by Dr Rowley, the team includes several of TT's most prominent and prolific business and industry leaders, as well as former public servants and politicians.

Serving as co-vice chairmen are Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte and newly-appointed chairman of the Unit Trust Corporation Gerry Brooks. Public Administration Minister Allyson West, a former tax partner at PwC, will serve as accountant and secretary.

Other members are former finance minister Wendell Mottley; UWI chancellor Robert Bermudez; First Citizens CEO Karen Darbasie; former Central Bank governor and finance minister Winston Dookeran; Prestige Holdings chairman Christian Mouttet and EY Caribbean executive chairman Colin Soo Ping Chow.

Also included are businessman and TSTT chairman Sean Roach; businessman and Caribbean Airlines chairman Ronnie Mohammed; president of BHP TT and Republic Financial Holdings Ltd chairman Vincent Pereira; Ministry of Finance permanent secretary Vishnu Dhanpaul; former Finance Ministry PS and former Port Authority chairman Allison Lewis; energy economist Gregory McGuire; Prof Karl Theodore, health economist; Selwyn Hazel, Tobagonian economist; labour unionists Christopher Henry and Michael Annisette; Tobago businessman Allan Warner; and social activist Rhondall Feeles.

Mouttet and Mohammed are also part of the special Cabinet sub-committee on the economy and business, chaired by Rowley, and which was created to craft covid19 mitigation policy.

"All these people will come together to work alongside other aspects of the government effort. Their assignment, as they break themselves into smaller specialist groups, is to report to the Prime Minister, who will receive their recommendations and pick up from them in the end, a roadmap for TT post-covid19." Rowley made the announcement at the post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's.

A rough draft is expected by the end of the month, he added, and work will continue through May. "I would give ourselves until the end of May to draft this roadmap, its shape, engineering, structure and its hope for TT. We should have a document by the end of May having consulted widely with other people.

“This group will be free to go out and consult and when we finish ... we are confident (about) moving into the post-covid19 (transition)."

The Prime Minister also spoke of another report, commissioned by the government and produced by Prof Karl Theodore, on the socio-economic impact of measures taken by the government to mitigate the spread of covid19, as an immediate assessment that will then link back to longer-term policies. The first draft of that report has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance, and the minister has reviewed and sent back to for revisions.

Both of these reports, Rowley said, will be made available to the public in due course.

He also had strong words for people spreading misinformation, notably the Opposition, including claims that the government was withholding information related to covid19 in TT.

“This is a slur and a distrust of the professional people doing a job as good as anywhere in the world for the people of their country,” he said. "When there are people in this country looking for office, which is their right, and trying to tell you that the government doesn't care and the government is hiding information, I take it (as) par for the course of those who are on the wrong course."

Citing his personal experience, he underscored the impact of the disease, and how he could understand the fears and concerns of the population.

"I know the feeling of watching the television and seeing the coffins in NY because they can't cope with the death rate. I know my daughter is there. I feel that every morning. I've been to a funeral with five people to see my favourite brother go. I know that."

From the beginning, he said, the government said it would share everything it knew up front, but there is a lot that is unknown, least of all how the virus will behave, as he echoed Education Minister Anthony Garcia's wait-and-see approach regarding when school will reopen.

"As leader of this fight I want to say to you, we want to come out of it as quickly as possible. but not so quickly to be premature and expose ourselves to a resurgence." Any decision, he said, will be made using expert advice and science. "I know there is some anxiety... the certainty we are after is not available in treating with the virus at this time. That certainty to parents and children (wondering) about exams. That certainty to captains of industry to know they can restart plants. That certainty is not there. But there is an expectation that is there... What day, what week, I cannot tell you at this time. I'm just telling you the intention. Hopefully, as we pray and we act, we too can have a good result... and come out of this in a period of thanksgiving."

PUT IN BOX

Roadmap to recovery team

Chair: Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

Vice Co-chairs: Minister Robert Le Hunte/Gerry Brooks

Members:

Allyson West

Wendell Mottley

Robert Bermudez

Karen Darbasie

Winston Dookeran

Christian Mouttet

Colin Soo Ping Chow

Sean Roach

Ronnie Mohammed

Vincent Perreira

Vishnu Dhanpaul

Allison Lewis

Gregory McGuire

Karl Theodore

Selwyn Hazel

Christopher Henry

Michael Annisette

Allan Warner

Rhondall Feeles