A senior Cabinet minister says if the T&T economy is not stimulated early this year, there will be trouble.
Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner made the point during an interview with reporters at his office in Port-of-Spain on Friday, when he was asked what his best wish was for T&T in 2011. Warner lists crime and the economy as two of his major concerns. "We have to find ways and means to have this economy reinvigorated...We have to stimulate the economy," he added.
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and others have repeatedly called on the Government to implement measures aimed at stimulating the economy. Warner said he was about to start several construction projects which would achieve that objective. He said the San Fernando/Point Fortin Highway would begin on January 26 and construction of four new offices for the Licensing Department would begin this month at a cost of almost $340 million. Warner said some 7,000 construction jobs would be created as a direct consequence. He said the Government "must find ways to get around to paying the contractors so that will employ masons and carpenters and other people.
"It is in that way that the economy will begin to be stimulated...Otherwise, we're in trouble," he added.
He said, however, because of the nature of the projects, foreign contractors would be given 65 per cent of the jobs across the country. "We have contractors here who have to understand that these are big projects and I don't know any contractor here who can handle a $5 billion highway construction project," Warner stressed. He said he and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar would meet with the contractors to attempt to deal with outstanding claims.
The contractors say they are owed billions. Warner stressed that his personal wish for this year is the eradication of traffic and flooding. "I have to solve that in the first six months of this year," he said.