00:00Political leader of the IDA, Dr. Denise Soifat-Angus, is describing the budget setback as a stinging indictment of the
00:09Farley-Augustin administration,
00:11arguing that the THA's leadership has helped bring the island to this point through its own handling of public funds.
00:18She says the THA must take responsibility for its stewardship as Tobago now faces a reduced allocation from central government.
00:27I think the chief secretary by now should recognize that he has been put in a naughty corner.
00:33That's essentially what has happened.
00:35It's clear that the relationship between the TPP administration and the central government has broken down, and this is where
00:45he finds himself.
00:46Now, if they were able to demonstrate good use of the money that they got in the last budget,
00:55then we would have seen at least the same level given to them now.
01:02Dr. Soifat-Angus argues that Tobago cannot pursue development by simply replicating how money is spent in Trinidad.
01:10She says the island must identify and invest in the sectors that can attract people, generate economic activity, and create
01:19sustainable growth.
01:21She also questions whether plans for new hotels and upgraded health care facilities will develop lasting returns
01:28without a stronger strategy to attract visitors and investment.
01:32Yes, you might want to expand the services, but you're just thinking about Tobago.
01:38So are we thinking about how do we attract people from elsewhere to come and use these services?
01:46And the only way that that can happen is when people have confidence in the health sector,
01:52which means you have to have more transparency in terms of when things happen
01:57to be able to let the people know what has happened and how you intend to treat with it.
02:02Dr. Soifat-Angus tells the Morning Edition, Agriculture 2 must receive greater attention.
02:09Food security is important, but we cannot continue to plan without looking at data.
02:19The data has shown that the agricultural sector, whilst it can provide some level of food security to us,
02:28cannot be considered a development pillar, given the low rates of employment reimbursement salaries to persons that it offers.
02:44Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
