Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is expected to present a reality check to citizens when he addresses the nation on Tuesday. That is according to Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
Rowley told a function hosted by the Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) last week that he was scheduled to address the nation shortly. He said then that the quality of life of citizens were in danger, adding that his Government would be brutally honest about it to save them from what was pending. Rowley had expressed concern about the reducing price of oil on the international market in the past several weeks. He said citizens must behave properly if there were to maintain their existing quality of life.
The PM did not elaborate but sources say his address would relate to the state of the economy. Imbert, questioned on the matter during a function to distribute 250 Christmas hampers to needy citizens at his Diego Martin Northeast constituency office yesterday, said the PM’s address will “deal with people’s expectations going forward over the next couple years.”
Imbert said: “It is just some sort of a reality check. So stand by. It is a reality check, that is all.”
And as the Christmas shopping period draws to a close this week, Imbert is advising citizens to be cautious in their spending. he said that in the wake of prevailing economic conditions locally. “Be conservative. The retailers may not be too happy but I would just ask people (shoppers) to be conservative, conserve whatever cash you have (and) keep it for a rainy day.”
Asked if he shared the view of some businessmen that Christmas sales were slow this year, Imbert said he didn’t know because has was not monitoring that. “It is difficult to say, it may be so but only they can tell. They record what their sales are. But if sales are slow it means people are being conservative.” He said that was “not good for the retailers but it is good for the consumers, at least they are holding bad some of the savings they have (and) that is not as bad thing.”