(Trinidad Guardian) The leaders of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Couva Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce have labelled recent comments about Trinidad and Tobago by Guyana Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo as unfortunate, saying it is not a proper assessment of T&T’s current state.
In a recent YouTube video, Jagdeo, apparently addressing a gathering on the benefits of Guyana’s developing energy sector, said some of its oil and gas resources should be pumped into building the infrastructure so the non-oil and gas sector in the future can generate jobs.
Jagdeo said, “Because if we don’t do that when the oil money goes, we’ll be poorer than many countries in the world.”
He continued, “Look at what’s happening in Trinidad now… Trinidad is falling apart, and that’s putting it mildly—falling apart! No jobs, sustained periods of negative growth and can’t see the light of day for the near future.”
The comment prompted Foreign Affairs Minister Amery Browne to address the matter with Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Hilton Todd and also drew negative criticism from some quarters online.
Addressing Jagdeo’s comments yesterday, Richie Sookhai, president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said Caricom countries should be focusing on unity at this time.
“It is quite unfortunate that officials from Guyana made negative comments towards T&T’s economy. At a time when the world is coming out of a pandemic and we are dealing with wars in different parts of the world, we in the Caribbean region should look at unifying into a self-sustaining superpower,” Sookhai told Guardian Media.
“We have had our challenges like many other countries, we are a resilient people and our sectors are picking up and moving once more.”
Sookhai said further strain should not be placed on the relationship between T&T and Guyana.
“It is unfortunate that people at the helm want to put more pressure on the strained relationship.”
He said many international companies have been looking to set up shop in T&T.
“We have a resilient manufacturing sector, a construction sector, our oil and gas is not as what it was, but we are a major player and those comments should be reconsidered.”
Couva Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce head Mukesh Ramsingh also said the Chamber does not agree with Jagdeo’s comments.
“Our economy is still not yet fully opened and a lot of persons are back to work,” he said in reference to Jagdeo’s suggestion there were not jobs available.
Ramsingh said T&T is far from falling apart. In fact, he said prior to the pandemic there was a shortage of labour. However, he said the construction sector is picking up once again and once T&T fully reopens, this country should start to see growth.