If he becomes prime minister, People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley promises to be accessible to manufacturers and the rest of the business community.
“The country has nothing to fear from the PNM,” he said yesterday when he addressed a session on the future of the manufacturing sector hosted by the T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School, Mt Hope.
TTMA president Dr Rolph Balgobin, who hosted the event, had earlier asked Rowley for a commitment that if he becomes prime minister he will give manufacturers all the help they need.
“We as manufacturers have a significant role to play in economic development in T&T. We therefore see ourselves as contributing more in terms of employment and are very keen to export more so that we can earn more foreign exchange for T&T.
“We at the TTMA do a number of things to encourage people to manufacture more and export more. We have a food fair coming up and the Trade and Investment Convention (TIC). Are you prepared to give vocal support to our initiatives to encourage something other than the development of the state sector?” Balgobin asked.
Rowley said the PNM does not have a draft budget ready in the event of victory at the polls next Monday but they intend to work with experienced public servants to prepare a one quickly.
“It is obvious the public servants would have been crunching the numbers but the guidelines on how you pitch the oil prices will require an understanding of the budget,” he said.
Rowley said the PNM is not a “fly by night” organisation and has been around for 60 years.
“During that time we have had a variety of opportunities in manufacturing and today we are recognised as one of the leaders in manufacturing, so the next PNM government has a record. There are opportunities and we intend to provide support,” he said.
He also promised to support a buy local campaign but warned the business community that their products must be up to international standards.