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Trinidad & Tobago's first female prime minister likes to get down to business. "We have hit the ground running from day one," Kamla Persad-Bissessar said shortly after her election victory last May.
At her inauguration ceremony, Persad-Bissessar apologised for leaving the event before it had ended, as she had to oversee measures to deal with flooding in parts of Trinidad. "It was an important first signal to all and sundry that her job had already begun," commented her Foreign Affairs Minister, Surujrattan Rambachan.
But the real change in last May's election victory was not only the country's first female premier, but that a five-party coalition had taken office, when most Trinidad & Tobago governments have been single-party. This move ended more than a decade of inefficient rule that empowered an era of crime and corruption.
"Change has indeed come," said Trinidad & Tobago's seventh prime minister since independence from the UK in 1962 and becoming a republic in 1976. "The time has arrived to open a new chapter in our nation's history."
And that new chapter consists of leading this Caribbean nation beyond carnival, cricket and economic dependence on its oil, gas and petrochemical industry, which accounts for 46% of the country's GDP.
The hope that came from these new steps towards the future soon led Time to name Persad-Bissessar one of the world's top 10 female leaders, alongside the likes of Angela Merkel. "I am humbled and honoured," she said in response, "but please let me know when they have listed Trinidad & Tobago in the top 10 developing nations in the world."
That is the aim of the ruling People's Partnership (PP), which includes Persad-Bissessar's United National Congress, whose support comes chiefly from citizens of East Indian origin, which make up 40% of the nation's 1.3 million population.
PP's May 24 election victory ended a decade in power for former premier Patrick Manning, whose African origin-influenced People's National Movement (people of African origin make up 37.5% of the population) called elections 30 months ahead of schedule.
Indeed, with mixed-origin groups accounting for another 20.5% of the population, Trinidad & Tobago is probably the most multi-ethnic country in the Caribbean, with a mix of Africans, Indians (largely from East India, following the end of slavery in 1838), British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Syrians, Lebanese and Chinese.
As part of her plan, Persad-Bissessar, 58, had set herself a 120-day deadline to achieve various key changes. And towards the end of 2010, she insisted: "I am proud to state that every one of our party's election platform promises enunciated in the 120-day action plan has been implemented."
For example, her government swiftly hired a foreign Police Commissioner and ordered the Attorney General to prepare legislation to combat crime, underlining the government's priority to make Trinidad & Tobago as safe as possible for its people and the tourists they hope will be attracted to the country.
Adding "I will not tolerate corruption", within 30 days of taking office, she also presented to Parliament a Procurement Bill to regulate and make transparent the acquisition of goods and services. Furthermore, pensions were raised and a Children's Life Fund was introduced.
Also approved in the first 120 days were the Clean and Beautiful T&T environmental programme and the cancellation of environmentally unsound smelter plants and the Rapid Rail project.
"I want to confirm the image of Trinidad & Tobago as an ideal place to live and do business," Persad-Bissessar said. "This is a re-branding process for which I hold personal responsibility."
The government is acutely aware of the challenges faced by the country in terms of boosting the energy sector in the face of falling oil and gas reserves. New bidding processes have been speeded up, in order to encourage participation from multinational companies. Meanwhile, energy sector income is also being applied constructively to foster a more diversified economy. This will include large-scale infrastructure projects, a more innovative agricultural sector and nurturing the ICT industry.
The government acknowledges that after two oil booms, the country is still deficient in terms of public utilities, health and food production, with Persad-Bissessar conceding that "the infrastructure of roads, drainage and public institutions leaves much to be desired."
None of this, however, dents the citizens' passion for their carnival, calypso, steel drum bands and, of course, cricket. Record-breaking West Indian batsman Brian Lara is a Trinidad-born local hero. And Trinidad & Tobago's national football team, The Soca Warriors, was captained by Dwight Yorke, just one of the growing number of local players who have made their mark on world football.
With major sporting and cultural attractions to draw tourists coming to the Caribbean, as well as the ecotourism paradise of Tobago, hopes are that, just as the government is moving fast to ensure change, international visitors will also move their sights just as quickly towards Trinidad & Tobago for their next holiday. |
