Padarath: CEPEP, URP need restructuring

Shastri Boodan

Couva South MP Barry Padarath says the CEPEP, URP, and Reforestation programmes must be restructured to deliver greater benefits to employees and their families. Speaking at a budget consultation in his constituency on Wednesday at the Couva South Auditorium, Padarath stated that criminal elements within these organisations are siphoning funds from the programmes to fuel criminal activity across Trinidad and Tobago.

He warned that it would be a recipe for disaster if the government continued to operate these programmes in the same manner as under the previous PNM administration. “You keep the criminals in there, and you have to continue living in these self-imposed jails because these contracts are fueling criminality and crime in the country. Therefore, if you want to get to the root cause of crime, then you have to target where the funding is coming from.”

Padarath said these initiatives must serve as transition programmes aimed at creating sustainable employment, rather than functioning as a base for political supporters to attend campaign events. “Our vision for you and your children is not to cut and rake grass for the rest of your life.

It must be that we create sustainable jobs in the spheres of agriculture, AI, and technology. It cannot be that we are myopic and happy to continue like the PNM—turning up at public meetings in your yellow jersey to cut grass for two hours in the morning. No. The Prime Minister has a vision for where she wants your children to be in the future. Our children cannot be left behind while the world continues to progress.”

He also directed a message to “elements in the media” and certain trade unions that have been raising questions about the public wage bill. He reminded them that the government has only been in office for three months and did not benefit from a honeymoon period. “Rome was not built in a day. We inherited the largest dataset as it relates to crime, murders, and home invasions.”

According to Padarath, the UNC government is currently managing a $9 billion budget deficit. He said they inherited a plethora of deteriorating infrastructure that had been neglected over the past decade. “Your administration came in three short months ago, but we came in against a backdrop where every sector in the country has collapsed.

Everywhere you go, the place is dilapidated—the bridges have collapsed, the highways are in a state of disrepair, the roadways, the carriageways, the schools, the hospitals, the police stations. Everywhere you go, over the last 10 years, the infrastructure of the country has been left to collapse.”

Padarath also highlighted the decline of the nation’s social infrastructure, stating that persons on disability grants were unable to access food cards under the previous administration, making it difficult for the most vulnerable to survive. “The Minister of Social Development has spoken to the Cabinet, and we are reviewing these things.”

Members of the public at the consultation echoed the need for improved infrastructure. Couva resident Jeremy Samsundar called on the government to raise fines to $100,000 or more for individuals involved in noise pollution. Meanwhile, Balmain resident Mishri Lutchmedial, who is also a CEPEP employee, suggested that CEPEP be utilised to maintain recreational grounds.