PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad--Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has defended her country's stance on providing conditional aid to Caribbean neighbours affected by Tomas last weekend, insisting that the position is logical. And she has blamed the headline in a local newspaper for her comments being blown out of proportion.
Her first response to the criticism came at a press conference which she held Thursday at a company which has a warehouse storing relief supplies, a day before a planned trip to St Lucia with a team of Ministers, military, technical, engineering and partnering organisations, to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Tomas.
Persad-Bissessar had said on Monday that assistance given to the storm-hit countries would have to provide some benefit for the twin-island republic. So, for example, she said, "if we are giving assistance with housing...then we may be able to use Trinidad and Tobago builders and companies, so that whatever money is given, rebounds back in some measure to the people of Trinidad and Tobago".
Thursday, the Prime Minister who has been severely criticised and described as "selfish" and "heartless" by some nationals and other Caribbean residents, stuck to her stated position and said that the 'No Free Help' headline on the story carried in the Trinidad Express newspaper had taken her comments "out of context".
"When the US invaded Iraq and after they damaged Iraq, they then gave them the aid but the aid to reconstruct Iraq was what? They used US firms. They used the US materials. They used US companies," she said. "Where would we source the materials from for construction? With T&T dollars in T&T. It seems to me a logical explanation of it."
Providing much more information than she did on Monday, the Prime Minister explained that a support initiative is to be integrated with a new policy of emergency assistance that sees the government sourcing and providing much needed relief supplies to affected islands from local partners.
"If we are to provide that assistance we will use T&T products rather than T&T dollars to convert into US which will then be used to buy materials somewhere else," she said.
Persad-Bissessar made specific mention of building materials in statement issued Thursday as well.
"As a result of slowdowns and contractions in the economy there now exists a slump in construction activity in Trinidad and Tobago and, as a result, there is a surplus of building material locally. The government will therefore seek to purchase some of these materials, and offer them to the affected Caricom territories to assist in their reconstruction effort," she said.
"The government expects that this approach will be a boost to the local construction industry whilst simultaneously assisting those persons who are in urgent need of these supplies. The accruing benefit to local business will place Trinidad and Tobago in a healthier economic circumstance," the Prime Minister continued, restating the national interest. "This would in turn allow us to provide further assistance if and when required, to our brothers and sisters in Caricom."
The Trinidadian leader said, though, that humanitarian aid, without any conditions attached, would be sent to St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadians which were hard hit by Tomas. Caribbean360.com
