Cabinet in retreat at Crews Inn

FOLLOWING the formalities of Monday's ceremonial opening of Parliament, government ministers headed to more relaxed atmosphere of CrewsInn, Chaguaramas, for a three-day Cabinet retreat from Monday evening to Wednesday.

Newsday visited at lunchtime on Tuesday. While reporters were not allowed near to proceedings, at 1.19 pm we observed ministers beginning to climb the stairs to trickle in to the premises' restaurant, first spotting Minister of Youth Development Foster Cummings and Energy Minister Stuart Young. Attorney General Reginald Armour and Finance Minister Colm Imbert followed soon after. Minister of Local Government Faris Al-Rawi said a brief hello to Newsday staff.

A photo was posted on the Prime Minister's personal Facebook page at about 11 am. Its caption said, "Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley chairs the Cabinet working retreat at The CrewsInn Hotel, Chaguaramas.

"This morning's session began with a presentation by the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Colm Imbert."

The retreat comes mere days ahead of the expected date of the reading of the next budget, an occasion for which he is expected to prepare by closely collaborating with Cabinet colleagues over considerations of revenues and expenditures, deficits and subsidies.

Imbert steadfastly refused to name the date of budget day when approached by reporters on Monday, but Opposition chief whip David Lee has told Newsday he has calculated the best date available for Imbert to be October 2.

Dr Rowley later posted a second photo on Tuesday, hosting what he described as a working lunch at CrewsInn on Tuesday with Trinbago Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard and former West Indies leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine.

"The Prime Minister continues to engage a number of cricket stakeholders in his capacity as chairman of the Caricom Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket," said the picture's caption.