00:00Prime Minister Kamala Pesant-Besasa kicked off her budget presentation addressing the absence of all but one opposition member.
00:09This was sparked by comments made by MP4 Lahoketa-Talparo, Philip Watts.
00:14We are not bothered at all by the comments of Minister Watts, the member for Lahoketa-Talparo.
00:30Comments made on the Red Couch alumni. The Red Couch alumni.
00:35You know they talk to the media, you know they not deny a single thing demanded.
00:42She defended her government's economic direction, declaring that Trinidad and Tobago is moving forward despite challenges inherited from the previous
00:51administration.
00:52I want to begin with the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:55Because behind every number in this budget, there is a person, there is a mother, there is a father, there
01:05is a child, there is a pensioner, there is a worker, there is a family.
01:09She sought to connect not so much with the numbers, but with what matters to the people.
01:15So when citizens wake up before sunrise, prepare for school, get themselves ready for work, and begin another long day,
01:23they are not thinking about the national fiscal deficit.
01:27Do you think they are thinking about the national fiscal deficit?
01:31Do you think they are thinking about how much overtime and under time, as Minister Alexander talked, do you think
01:36they are thinking about that?
01:36What they are thinking about are the prices at the supermarket.
01:41What they are thinking about is the healthcare, the hospitals.
01:45They are thinking about repairs to their homes.
01:48They are thinking about safety in their communities.
01:50Pesad Visasa pointed to projections from the International Monetary Fund, which forecast economic growth of 0.8% in 2026,
01:59rising to 3% in 2027.
02:07Pesad Visasa accused the former administration of leaving taxpayers with billions of dollars in outstanding obligations,
02:15arguing that her government must now address those commitments while financing new priorities.
02:38She also defended the government's intention to divest selected loss-making state enterprises, rejecting opposition concerns about the sale of
02:48national assets.
02:49She argued that taxpayers should not be expected to continually subsidize companies that fail to generate sustainable returns.
02:59Pesad Visasa also sought to position her budget around the needs of the working and middle-class citizens,
03:05saying economic policy must deliver tangible improvements in household finances, employment, housing, and access to essential services.
03:14But she did not finish without accusing the PNM of cultivating a swine culture.
03:20That swine culture is what Dr. Job was describing.
03:25That swine culture, the PNM, has embedded in society, as Dr. Job described it.
03:31He was widely verified.
03:33It turns out that he was right.
03:40Mr. Speaker, I think we could say this word in Parliament because it's in the Bible.
03:44He was damn right.
03:45Dr. Job was damn right.
03:48Her response was also marked by sharp attacks on the opposition leader and the PNM,
03:54whom she accused of criticizing the government while avoiding responsibility for their own record.
04:01All the member for Rima had to do was to keep my name out of her mouth.
04:06She was forced by.
04:10As you all say, you feel sorry for people.
04:14I was too nice to her.
04:15I'm done.
04:16Nice done.
04:17Nice done.
04:17Don't call my name in your mouth.
04:19Don't call my name in vain.
04:22I show her respect.
04:24I treat her well when I see her.
04:26But she couldn't do that.
04:28Because she seems to have fooled herself in believing she's deserving her position as leader of the PNM
04:35and leader of the opposition.
04:38Basad Basasa maintained her administration was working to restore economic stability,
04:43improve public safety, and create opportunities for citizens.
04:47She said the ultimate measure of the budget would be whether ordinary people experience a better quality of life.
04:55Ravishita Wari Ruknarain, TV6 News.
