Former PNM MP for St Joseph and government minister Kennedy Swaratsingh's presence caused a stir at the United National Congress's (UNC) economic forum town hall meeting on March 27 at the La Joya Complex auditorium in St Joseph.
Swaratsingh, who has been out of politics since losing his seat in the 2010 general election, explained he had been living and working in Barbados for the past 15 years due to an inability to find a job in Trinidad after leaving politics. He spoke about his 20 years spent as a Catholic priest, having joined the seminary monks at the age of 18 and being ordained in 1991.
Admitting he had to borrow a suit to attend the meeting, Swaratsingh humorously said he was more accustomed to wearing T-shirts, shorts and slippers while living in Barbados.
He described himself as a proud son of St Joseph and said he had a deep love for TT: he said he felt compelled to speak and urge the nation to give the UNC and Kamla Persad-Bissessar a chance at governance.
"I'm not here as a former member of the PNM: I'm not here as a member of the UNC. I'm here as a concerned citizen of TT. St Joseph is my hometown and one of the things instilled in us growing up was a deep love for St Joseph and our country."
He stressed the need for an economic strategy that not only focuses on infrastructure development but also attracts capital to support the nation's growth.
"We've lost our pre-eminence as the financial capital of the Caribbean," Swaratsingh said.
"In the immediate term, we have to give people hope, confidence and empathy. The only representative we can find in the political scenario today is Kamla Persad-Bissessar."
Swaratsingh stressed he was not just there to endorse Persad-Bissessar but to offer his ideas for improving the country's economy. He shared his experience assisting Barbados during a difficult economic period when the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) reached out to him. Swaratsingh said he helped Barbados join CAF by purchasing shares, which ultimately brought significant benefits to the island's economic strategy.
He said while TT had once invested in CAF shares under the UNC, the benefits had not been fully realised after the PNM government took office in 2015. Swaratsingh said he was instrumental in helping TT complete its entry into CAF to ensure the country would be entitled to benefits from CAF, including a US$400 million tranche.
"I am not here to blame anyone, but facts are stubborn things. The opportunities we had through CAF have not been fully leveraged and the private sector has not been given its share of these benefits."
Swaratsingh suggested the government allocate CAF resources to support sectors such as manufacturing by offering lower interest rates for borrowing. He also recommended utilising CAF funds for public-private partnerships, particularly for housing projects and infrastructure development, to promote growth and improvement in these areas.
Despite his involvement in these initiatives, Swaratsingh lamented many of the proposed projects n
