[UPDATED] Imbert: 'Excellent' budget hurting UNC

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said the Government's excellent budget has left the Opposition UNC in "so much pain and gastrointestinal distress."

This was one of several political shots he fired at the UNC as he concluded the budget debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

He said, in his time as a parliamentarian, the budget contributions by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the other 18 UNC MPs were the most abysmal he had ever witnessed.

"There was no original content whatsoever. I will try not to be uncharitable, but this is the worst response to a budget speech that I have heard in my 32 years in the Parliament."

Imbert believed that all UNC MPs in their respective contributions were essentially begging Persad-Bissessar to retain them for the next general election.

"They had to start their contributions by what they said was an excellent response (by Persad-Bissessar) to the budget."

As Opposition MPs began to complain across the aisle, Imbert looked up to the ceiling and sighed.

"Lord have mercy."

After Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George restored order, she asked Imbert if he could calm the excitement he had stirred up in the UNC's ranks.

Imbert replied, "Respectfully, I beg to differ. They (UNC) are unruly and they have no behaviour. That's what's going on."

He said the budget had been universally accepted by the vast majority of the population.

"That is why they have nothing to say."

Imbert claimed no UNC MP had commented on anything contained in his ministry's Review of the Economy document, and this was a first in parliamentary history.

He declared that the UNC could not handle the truth.

"It was a damn good budget! That's what it was!" he said

As Annisette-George was advising Imbert to temper his language, there were inaudible comments from UNC MPs. She told the Opposition she needed no support from anyone while making a ruling.

Imbert followed her advice.

Government MPs thumped their desks as Imbert declared, "It was an excellent budget! They can't handle it!"

He said the budget had something for everyone and it was necessary to debunk the dishonest commentary in the public domain about it. He added that information from the Labour Ministry showed the UNC and their allies were misleading the public about the mininum wage.

Between 2001 and 2023, Imbert said, "We (PNM) raised it six times," and the UNC raised it only once. The minimum wage was increased in this year's budget from $17.50 to $20.50 an hour.

Imbert reminded MPs that the Minimum Wages Act was created in 1967 under a PNM government.

He said the UNC misled the population by saying it had held genuine pre-budget consultations before the budget was presented on October 2.

Rather, he said, the UNC "went all over the country and consulted itself." The contributions of Persad-Bissessar and other UNC MPs in the debate, he claimed, were "just a recital of what they said to themselves."

He said both the UNC and "their echo chamber outside" had misled the population into believing the budget was an election one.

"We have no election as far as I know. (The general) election is not due until 2025."

If they were so desperate to hear an election budget, he said, they should stay tuned, as the next general election is constitutionally due in 2025.

"It have a next budget to come. That will be an election budget that will blow your mind."

The House's Standing Finance Committee will begin its deliberations on the budget from 10 am on Friday. Under the Standing Orders, the committee has five days to complete this.

On each day, the committee will deal with eight heads of expenditure. On Friday, the committee will address expenditure for the ministries of Finance, Health and Public Utilities; the Office of the Prime Minister, pension and gratuities; the Auditor General; Public Service Appeal Board; Statutory Authorities Service Commission; and the Tax Appeal Board.

The committee will deal with expenditure for the Tobago House of Assembly on October 18.

Should the committee sit on consecutive days next week, the House will pass the budget on October 19.

The Senate will subsequently sit to debate the already-passed budget. Those sittings could begin on October 20 or 23. Under its standing orders, the Senate cannot vote on money bills, such as the budget.

By law, the budget must be approved by Parliament before October 31, the start of the new financial year.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has declared that the Government's "excellent" budget has baffled the Opposition UNC and left it writhing in "so much pain and gastrointestinal distress."

Imbert fired these political shots at the UNC as he concluded the budget debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

He said in his 32 years as a parliamentarian, the October 6 budget response by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the subsequent responses of the other 18 UNC MPs were the most abysmal he had ever seen and heard.

Government MPs thumped their desks as Imbert declared, "It was an excellent budget. They can't handle it."

He opined that the UNC was upset there is no general election this year and he did not present an election budget on October 2.

Imbert reminded the UNC that the next general election is constitutionally due in 2025.

"It have a next budget to come. That will be an election budget that will blow your mind."

Imbert was not surprised the Opposition had nothing to say in the debate because, he said, the budget had something for everyone.

He slammed the UNC and other commentators for misleading the population about facts, saying the PNM increased the minimum wage six times and the UNC only once.

The House's Standing Finance Committee will begin deliberating on the budget from 10 am on Friday. Under the Standing Orders, the committee has five days to complete this.

This means that the House will pass the budget by October 19, should the committee sit on successive days.

The Senate will subsequently sit to debate the already-passed budget. Under its standing orders, the Senate cannot vote on money bills, such as the budget.