Imbert dashes UNC early-election hopes again

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert dashed Opposition UNC hopes of an early general election, for a second successive day.

Imbert did so on Friday during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on the 2023/2024 budget.

When he concluded the budget debate in the House on Thursday, Imbert claimed the UNC and its friends were very disappointed there was no general election this year and the budget was not an election one.

Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram continued to insist an election is imminent because of a sum of $27 million allocated to the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) in the budget for fiscal 2024.

"Are we to anticipate an election coming soon?" asked Ratiram.

"This question is ridiculous. I said it has nothing to do with any so-called election," Imbert replied.

He reminded MPs there had been local government elections on August 14.

Imbert said NLCB was allocated $33 million for promotions and publicity for fiscal 2023 but only spent $19 million of that amount. He described that as commendable.

He said the company's promotion exercise is necessary for "our legal lottery because there are a lot of illegal games outside there.

"This is lawful. This is professional and it is required."

He promised to provide Ratiram with information from NLCB about its plans for 2024.

Imbert observed that other UNC MPs shook their heads when Ratiram asked this question, suggesting they did not agree an election is imminent.

Ratiram continued to insist an election was coming when he asked about a $2 million allocation to the NLCB for conferences in fiscal 2024.

Imbert told him it was not possible to predict how many conferences NLCB would hold in any given year.

"These things are not static. The only thing that does not change is a dead man."

Energy Minister Stuart Young made an observation at this point: "In this line item dealing with NLCB, it is an opportune time to remind ourselves about what we heard yesterday that under the (former) UNC (government), they took a loan from NLCB..."

Young was drowned out by shouting from opposition MPs. Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George restored order to the meeting.

Young's comment was in reference to Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis's budget debate contribution on Thursday, when she said $789 million spent on housing under the UNC-led People's Partnership government could not be accounted for.

She said this missing money was supposedly for the repayment of a loan taken from the NLCB.

Robinson-Regis, who is also Leader of Government Business, intervened in the meeting after St Augustine Khadijah Ameen complained some government ministers were not there to answer questions from the Opposition.

Ameen repeated questions asked by Ratiram and Oropouche West MP Davendrath Tancoo, for which Imbert promised to get answers. The questions dealt with agriculture and the Children's Life Fund respectively.

Robinson-Regis said, "Even though the member (Ameen) is present, she is not totally here with us."

She added that Ameen did not appear to understand the process by which the committee worked.

"The minister who has to deal with the Ministry of Finance (Imbert) is here and dealing with it."

Imbert said his ministry's role is that of paymaster, allocating funding to other government ministries to undertake their work, but not being involved in that work.

Annisette-George agreed with the points Robinson-Regis and Imbert raised.

"I think it is important at this discussion be had, so in going forward, we will understand what is being done and what is to be required."

At the start of the meeting, Annisette-George reminded MPs of their agreement to deal with eight heads of expenditure on each of the five days the committee will sit to deliberate on the budget.