South Chamber head: National security must be major budget item

NATIONAL security has always consumed a big slice of the budget, and president of the Greater San Fernando Chamber (GSFCC) Kiran Singh is insisting it must be the major budget item for fiscal 2023/2024.

After the bloody massacre in Arima in which children and adults from one family were murdered and wounded, along with the $105 million marijuana bust near the Mosquito Creek, La Romaine, on Wednesday night, Singh made a case for more resources for the police.

He also called for more rigorous protection of the borders, and a fully equipped Coast Guard, and Customs Division, especially operational port scanners.

“The TTPS needs more resources to combat the crime scourge,” Singh said in an interview with the Newsday. “Complaints have come to our offices of police not having sufficient vehicles to patrol. Police mobility is a major component of crime-fighting techniques.”

He suggested the use of drones rather than helicopters, which are comparatively much cheaper, to be used for air searches.

He applauded the Southern Division police, led by Sen Supt Richard Smith, for intercepting a truckload of high-grade Colombian marijuana which came through Mosquito Creek and was bound for Cedros.

“This points to our porous borders. The fleet of Coast Guard vessels doesn't appear to be at full strength, based on reports. If we are to protect our borders, it would have to start with a fully functional sea fleet.”

The Chamber also made a case for more body cameras to assist police and the public while the police are at work.

Calling for a nationwide security surveillance camera system, Singh said, “The business community is ready to network their cameras into the national grid to create complete coverage of the nation. Of course, emphasis would be placed on the criminal hot spots.”

Questioning the effectiveness of the Customs Division, Singh expressed concern about the port scanners and the urgent need for overall improvement.

“Queries have been raised as to whether port scanners are operational. The processing time for clearing break bulk, LCL and full containers needs to be desperately expedited. Duties and demurrage charges continue to cause unnecessary costs in clearing goods at the nation's ports.

“Millions of dollars’ worth of illegal high-powered weapons and ammunition continue to elude the country's secured customs points of entry.

"How is this happening?”

On TT’s continued dependence on oil and gas, he suggested diversification should be aggressively pursued to ensure economic survival.

In keeping with this thrust, he noted the exploration of tourism as potential for foreign exchange, with a focus on eco-tourism and incentivising cruise ships and yachters to dock here.

“The La Brea Dry Dock Shipping Facility also needs greater emphasis to deepen the ship service industry ,as we are ideally placed for this industry's development.”

Foo security, he said, is also of paramount importance, pointing to foreign-exchange restrictions which are having adverse effect on imports. He supported the Prime Minister’s call to reduce the food import bill.

“Agriculture must be placed on the front burner if we are to survive. It must be given priority, as it is a net foreign-exchange earner, and has the potential to take us to positive economic growth in the medium term."

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and others have called for the removal of the seven per cent online tax. Singh questioned its relevance of this tax as a revenue-generator.

“To what extent does it impact on additional costs to the smaller consumers, especially those in the SME sector that rely on small credit-card purchases? Small contractors, retail stores and tradesmen in particular, have experienced higher costs.

“The window of an average 30-day cycle to pay the credit-card expense has been eroded. In most cases, we don't have access to large financial reserves to buffer extended lines of credit customers seek in this very competitive market."

Singh said the tax has made SMEs less competitive in sales and jobs.