Imbert: PNM takes good care of Tobago

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert says Tobago always benefits under PNM governments, whether or not the party also controls the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Imbert made this point when he addressed a Conversations with the Prime Minister forum in Scarborough, Tobago on May 23.

He told the audience he is baffled by claims in the public domain that Government starves the THA of funding simply because the PNM is not in charge of the assembly.

Imbert said nothing could could be further from the truth.

"It's a little known fact that when times were tough under the previous (PNM) administration in Tobago, we did not have enough cash flow to give Tobago its subvention on a quarterly basis.We just didn't have enough money. Things were very rough in the early years, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 – and don't talk about 2020, when covid came."

Against this background, Imbert continued, an arrangement was made to give the THA its subvention on a monthly basis instead of quarterly.

In December 2021, the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) defeated the PNM 14-1 in the THA elections.

Shortly after the PDP won, Imbert said, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine asked to meet with him.

He added that Dr Rowley, "as someone who loves Tobago, asked me to meet with Farley."

That meeting happened on December 23, 2021.

At that meeting, Imbert said the previous arrangement whereby the THA received its subventions from central government was discussed.

He added that Augustine asked him how the THA could receive its subventions.

"Could you give us two months out of the three months in advance, and then give us the third month in month three? Because there are 12 months in a year. Every quarter you have three months."

Imbert said Augustine was basically asking for the THA to receive its subventions quarterly, with two thirds being received in the first two months of each quarter and the rest in the third month.

"I said okay. It was all in the spirit of collaboration."

Imbert said this dispelled the myth that the PNM was starving the Augustine-led THA of financial resources.

"So this new assembly has been treated better. I know they have some people inside here who would not be too happy about that, but that's what we did.

"So the new assembly is getting money in bigger blocks, quicker than the PNM House of Assembly. So that's the first thing that needs to be known, because I'm sure that you didn't know that."

Imbert quoted from documents to support this position.

He told the audience that from 2018-2021, the PNM-led THA received allocations of $2.26 billion, $2.27 billion, $2.34 billion and $2.817 billion respectively.

Imbert said the first year of the Augustine-led THA in office would have been December 2021-December 2022.

Central government released a total of $2.38 billion in funding to the THA in 2022.

This figure increased to $2.578 billion last year.

Imbert said, "The most amount of money released to the THA between 2016 and 2021 was $2,578,000 released in 2023 to this assembly."

But this was not all.

Imbert said Government had engaged in considerable expenditure in Tobago, through several state agencies, to benefit Tobagonians.

"Over the period 2019-2023, central government spent a total of $2.9 billion in Tobago, in addition to the regular subventions that we are talking about. I have a complete list."

He quoted information about some of this expenditure from additional documents.

Government, Imbert continued, spends $200 million annually to run passenger and cargo ferries on the domestic seabridge.

He said the THA does not contribute to this.

Last year in Tobago, $133 million was spent on senior citizens' grants and old age pensions, $6 million on disablity grants, $6 million on public assistance grants, $14 million for the On-the Job Training (OJT) programme, $24 million for the Judiciary and $10 million on the police.

Imbert indicated the common thread running through all of these expenditures.

"That is all spent by the central government, not by the THA."

In addition, Imbert reminded the audience of regular work done by state companies such as the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC).

"That is why we spend approximately $600 million a year, the central government, in Tobago, on matters that concern Tobago."

Against this background, Imbert said he still does not understand why Government is being accused of starving the THA of funding.

"I don't know what more I'm supposed to say? They get the most amount of money and they get it faster. So I really don't understand that comment."

Rowley told Imbert he should not be surprised if this claim continues. He gave two perspectives as to why.

On one hand, Rowley said, these claims could be "made by a person who is walking the street with no assignment or in a job that is required to be in the know."

The second scenario he suggested was misinformation being spread deliberately by certain office-holders.

"That is where the trouble is."

Rowley said there is no issue with ordinary members of the public being unaware of certain things and putting questions about them to those in a position to answer.

He said the problem arises when these people deliberately mislead the public.

"Misinformation and outright malicious statements fill the either, not only in Tobago but in Trinidad too."

Rowley reiterated this kind of misinformation creates the mischief which misleads people into believing the PNM treats Tobago badly because it does not control the THA.