ADDRESS
BY THE
HONOURABLE PATRICK MANNIN
PRIME MINISTER
OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
AT HIS SWEARING-IN CEREMONY
WOODFORD SQUARE
PORT OF SPAIN

• Your Excellencies, the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Professor George Maxwell Richards and Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards

• President of the Senate the Honourable Dr. Linda Baboolal and Dr. Michael Baboolal

• Speaker of the House of Representatives the Honourable Barendra Sinanan and Mrs. Sinanan

• Ministers of Government of the outgoing administration and their spouses

• Permanent Secretaries

• His Excellency Ambassador John S. Donaldson

• Members of the Diplomatic Corps

• Our religious representatives Pastor Levi Duncan and Pundit Mukhram Sirju, President of the Inter-Religious Organisation

• Members of the Media

• Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago

Thank you all very much for accepting our invitation, at unavoidably short notice, to be here today. I am especially moved and humbled by this very large turnout of citizens to witness today’s swearing-in ceremony; being done for the first time in full public view and in historic Woodford Square, The People’s Parliament. This is also the first occasion in our country’s history that a newly installed Prime Minister has decided to address the nation as part of the day’s ceremony. I wish to indicate that this departure from tradition signals a continuation of our intention to bring government closer to the people. Indeed we shall pursue the process of national consultation that we started in our last term; and facilitate, in appropriate ways, the involvement of the citizenry in important national decision-making. I therefore warmly welcome each and every one of you and, with equal warmth, also extend greetings to the entire nation through the live transmission of these proceedings.

My Fellow citizens, I am deeply honoured by the opportunity to serve yet another term as the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. I am grateful for the support and confidence of all who have made this possible. I give you the assurance that I will continue to do my best in this sacred position of trust in which I have again been placed. Indeed if it is possible to work any harder than I already do, I assure you, it will be done. As long as the Good Lord blesses me with life, will power and capacity, I will continue to devote my all to the betterment of Trinidad and Tobago and its people.

My Friends, we have just ended a very demanding elections campaign. Rivalries were undoubtedly intense; and, as is their right in our democracy, citizens supported the political parties of their choice. But the society is still in tact. In many other countries elections are marred by severe violence and trauma. But here tensions have already evaporated and, at the end of it all, the family of Trinidad and Tobago remains united. As a people, we ought to be very proud of the way we continue to conduct ourselves in this most important exercise in democracy. Congratulations therefore to the mature, harmonious, cosmopolitan population of our beloved nation.

The elections are over. As Prime Minister, I give the solemn assurance that, in word and deed, mine will continue to be an Administration for all the people of our beloved country. The division into opposing camps must now be put aside. We must again see the country as a whole, a unit, a single family. Therefore none need fear. There will be neither victimisation nor alienation. This country belongs to all of us. Its resources will be deployed for the benefit of all; and together we shall all move over the next five years to make Trinidad and Tobago one of the best places on this planet.

I must make this observation. There were two aspects of the election campaign that I found particularly striking and which brought me great satisfaction. One was the very significant number of young people who attended the political meetings and who were avidly involved in the campaign. When our young people participate with such enthusiasm in the nation’s democracy, then the country’s political progress is assured. I was also extremely heartened by the ethnic composition of the support my Party received. In my many years of political campaigning, never have I witnessed such a degree of cosmopolitanism in the audiences I addressed. It all bodes very well for the future my friends. It is clear that we are leaving further and further behind, the old paradigm of political support based on racial considerations. Nothing should bring greater joy to our hearts. When our politics evolves and our nation is united, there is no stopping Trinidad and Tobago. I promise, as Prime Minister, to capitalise on these very positive trends for the enhanced stability and prosperity of our nation.

All talents will be employed for the continuing development of the country. The government will need a variety of skills at various levels for the successful implementation of our vision and policies. There are many positions to be filled on Boards and elsewhere, and I intend to ensure that our choices are in consonance with the very positive trends that were discerned during the campaign just ended.

A new Government will be sworn in tomorrow. Here too you will see the manifestation of another important new trend in modern Trinidad and Tobago. The female population is coming more and more to the fore in this country and already enjoy a dominant presence in many sectors, including the Public Service, the Foreign Service and the Teaching profession. They are moving very rapidly in other areas including business, management, law, medicine and the media. And, as you can see, they are also moving in politics. Witness the unprecedented large number of female candidates in the elections just ended. Clearly there is something about their commitment, discipline, dedication and work ethic that has placed our female population on the fast track of achievement. Others have much to learn from their approach. Your new Government will reflect this national reality and will be historic in the important roles that will be assigned to the women.

My Friends, as we look ahead, I am very optimistic about our country’s prospects. Over the last five years, Trinidad and Tobago made very significant economic and social progress, as we embarked on the road to transform our country into a developed nation. We intend to build on our achievements and to accelerate the pace of development in all areas of national life. There will now be much greater progress than before. We have the plans, many of which were outlined in our manifesto; and with our return to office having received such emphatic endorsement by the population, we also have the very significant element of continuity. This places us in a position to hit the ground running in the new Administration and to move immediately to increase the momentum of our development. We must waste no time. The wind is in our favour, including ever increasing revenue from our main exports. All conditions are most propitious to further our developmental activity and also additionally to secure the future through increased national savings.

We intend to continue economic diversification, through deeper industrialisation with industries in plastics, aluminium, iron and steel and information technology; and also sustain our focus on the targeted non-energy industries; as well as our extremely successful efforts with tourism, manufacturing and small and medium enterprises. It all means the generation of new wealth and the creation of more and more jobs to be filled by the thousands of young people who enter the market for employment every year. Indeed my friends, with our approach, we are confident, even taking into account the inevitable periodic fluctuations, to sustain an optimum unemployment rate of between 5% and 6% over the next five years. Let me also assure you that we intend to keep inflation under control; and I am confident that we shall attain our target of 7% by the end of this year and move to 5% in the period thereafter.

We also intend to keep down the price of food. It is a challenge, given increasing inflationary trends in the international arena, but we will continue the implementation of the plan of action arising out of our national consultation on this issue; initiatives which have already served to keep the situation under control. Most importantly, we shall intensify our efforts at increased food production through our new vision for Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago. Food security shall be a matter for major attention in the new administration.

We shall continue to deal with the need for affordable housing, especially for low and middle-income households; and shall maintain our target of constructing a minimum of eight thousand units per year to deal with this continuing problem. 8000 units in the public sector. We shall pursue further improvements in health care, emphasising availability and accessibility of the best modern health care for the citizens of this country. We shall implement our plans for a vastly improved water supply; a comprehensive drainage programme; and enhanced power generation and transmission. We shall deal with the problem of traffic congestion through the many methods that we have outlined, including the construction of over passes, the removal of traffic lights, the establishment of free ways and the construction of a new network of highways throughout Trinidad and Tobago. And very importantly, as we strive to further reduce poverty and eventually completely eradicate it, we shall institute a new dispensation for the delivery of social services, partnering with our bona fide Non Governmental organisations, in the process.

I wish especially to assure our young people that we will continue our focus on their development with modernised Education from nursery to tertiary; and through the many training programmes which have proven to be so successful. These shall now come under review for greater effectiveness and to ensure coverage over the entire country, providing all who are willing, with the opportunity for advancement in these areas. Tremendous new opportunities are also coming in the areas of culture and sport.

And we will continue the battle against crime. We have had encouraging success in this struggle, as evidenced by the almost complete disappearance of kidnapping and the decrease in the rate of homicides in the country. We shall continue to strengthen the law enforcement agencies through improved management, better facilities, updated equipment including technology, and ongoing training in modern methods of policing, detection and crime prevention. We shall intensify our battle against the drug trade which is at the root of most of the violent crimes in this country today.

Let us therefore go forward now as the family of Trinidad and Tobago. We are now in a most wonderful time of the year. Divali is already here, and I therefore wish to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire nation, to wish the Hindu Community a most happy celebration of this beautiful festival of lights. We then begin the countdown to Christmas, and whilst I will have the opportunity to extend greetings at the end of the year, let me also now wish the entire country smooth preparations for the commemoration of the birth of the Saviour who gave his life for the salvation of all.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are blessed with a country rich in human and natural resources, dynamic diversity and a culture of peace and harmonious living. This is also now a land of increasing opportunity for everybody. We should all strive, whilst improving our own lot, to contribute to a better society in our communities and in the nation as a whole. Let us all look out for one another and go forward as the family of Trinidad and Tobago; and let us remember to give thanks everyday to Almighty God for his bounty and blessings.

May God bless each and every one of you. May God continue to bless our beloved country. May I thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you as Prime Minister. Thank you very much, Ladies and Gentlemen.