PRIME Minister Stuart Young flatly denied the Opposition UNC's claim that "nothing is happening" regarding foreign investment into TT, by announcing he has $70 billion of "future investments" in energy sector projects lined up for 2025-2028, excluding the flat-lined Dragon Gas deal.
"Those deals depend on the choice we make next Monday," he cautioned, seeking support in the general election.
By contrast, he said one major energy company had told the new PNM government in 2015 that it was set to pay TT zero dollars in revenues under an arrangement made with the former People's Partnership government, a state of affairs Young and former prime minister Dr Rowley had then had to remedy.
He was addressing a PNM rally on April 22 at Nyabinghi bar, St Joseph, held in support of local candidates Esmond Forde for Tunapuna, Dr Yunus Ibrahim for Barataria/San Juan and Terrence Deyalsingh for Aranguez/St Joseph.
It was in this very area, that on September 17, Deyalsingh was sitting outside Nyahbinghi bar with a constituent when two men confronted him and robbed him at gunpoint of a gold bera (bracelet) valued at $10,000. The men then got into a car and escaped.
[caption id="attachment_1150936" align="alignnone" width="832"] PNM Aranguez/St Joseph candidate Terrence Deyalsingh is greeted by a supporter as he arrived at Nyabinghi bar in St Joseph for the PNM's general election campaign meeting on Tuesday night. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
On Tuesday evening, Deyalsingh there was no jewellery to be seen on either of his wrists as he arrived at the rally with only a watch on his left wrist.
Young listed some $57 billion in energy sector deals inked from 2016-2025 under the PNM government, including the $2 billion Manatee deal, plus multimillion dollar deals with bp, Shell, BHP and EOG.
By contrast, he claimed, the UNC provided no plan as to where it would earn money to fund its proposals except for saying, "We will find the money."
Young challenged anyone in the audience to try buying a sofa set by just telling the store, "We'll find the money to pay."
He said to earn revenues for a country was very hard work, including going overseas and not simply talking over drinks.
Young asked listeners to check the record to see who had in fact been fighting for this country's betterment.
"We restructured Atlantic LNG, which has never happened anywhere in the world." That move, he said, earned TT some $38 billion in revenues.
[caption id="attachment_1150938" align="alignnone" width="1009"] These young supporters blow their horns at the PNM's political meeting in St Joseph on Tuesday evening. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
Saying such energy revenues were needed to fund GATE, the PTSC and electricity subsidies, he said, "I am asking you tonight, give us the mandate!"
Young alleged that the UNC had taken down a post on its website that had implicated the party as planning a devaluation, a reference to UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar urging the elimination of "the dirty managed float."
He then
