Lee: 'Even Rowley can't defend Imbert, Khan's performance'

Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale
Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

OPPOSITION whip David Lee says the United National Congress (UNC) has claimed "victory" in the motions of no confidence recently filed against Energy Minister Franklin Khan and Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

Speaking at the UNC's Monday night's Virtual Report, Lee said the Opposition was also victorious in the preceding no-confidence motion filed against Minister of National Security Stuart Young, brought by Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in January.

Lee said government "hijacked" Parliament in the second two motions. They "did not allow our opposition leader to wind up that debate and they shut it down prematurely," he said, adding that Rowley, during the motions against Khan and Imbert, also failed to defend them.

"What does that tell you, my brothers and sisters? Even the prime minister might not have confidence in (Imbert and Khan).

"We need to keep focusing over the past five years, what was their performance.

"Now, we didn't bring a motion frivolously," saying that the country's financial and energy woes did not stem from the covid19 pandemic.

"The issues were not caused by covid19," Lee said. "it was lack of performance from Minister Khan and Minister Imbert over the past four years, from 2015.

"Both of them really failed to deliver on the promises that they promised this country. And we have seen under the Minister of Finance for the last five years...deficit upon deficit upon deficit over the last five years under the Minister of Finance.

The country's rising debt, Lee said, was one of the greatest areas for concern.

"Right now, our debt to GDP (ratio) is over 90 per cent. That means that presently, the debt burden that this government has put on us – every individual in this country literally owes approximately $97,000.

"When we demitted office under Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the debt to GDP was 46 per cent. Today, the debt to GDP is approximately over 90 per cent. That is a danger zone that the government is putting us in. That is a danger zone that we might not be able to come out of.

"Under the Minister of Finance, foreign direct investments has been literally zero over the past four years. Our forex issues continue daily. Our business individuals, our companies, manufacturing sector struggling to get foreign exchange."

Ease of doing business, one marker for a country's ability to attract foreign investments, was also concerning, with TT now sitting at 105 out of 150 countries.

"Minister Imbert really does not have a plan to take us post-covid19. When you look at Minister Khan's performance, after we brought that motion of no confidence in February, he has now sought to have gotten busy.

"The ministers, both Minister Khan and Imbert, have sold this country dreams, budget upon budget, upon dreams."

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