ROWLEY'S COMPARISON WITH HAITI LUDICROUS AND INSULTING: UNC

The United National Congress (UNC) on Wednesday harshly criticised People's National Movement (PNM) leader Keith Rowley for his suggestion that Trinidad and Tobago could end up like Haiti. 

He based his statement on his view that the T&T economy is performing poorly and that expenditure is out of control under the PP government.

In strong worded media release the UNC rebuked Rowley. "This comparison is ludicrous and insulting to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Why is Rowley talking our nation down?" the UNC said.
 
It added that Rowley's comparison between the economies of Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti is "ridiculous, incredible and insulting". The party said, "Over the last seven days he (Rowley) has insulted swing voters and now he has insulted all the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

Comparative images - top: Haiti; bottom Port of Spain, Trinidad

The UNC called Rowley "unpatriotic" and unfit to lead T&T and asked: "Are there no depths to which this man will stoop?" The UNC added that it is absolutely clear that Rowley's "increasingly hysterical comments reflect the fact he has no policy, no plan, no vision and no ideas to take us forward."

Rowley's comparison is without merit when one compares the two economies.
 
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the Caribbean and is listed in the top 66 High Income countries in the world. In the Caribbean, it is one of the richest countries, with a per capita GDP of around 
US$20,400. Haiti's was US$1,300 in 2013. In November 2011, the OECD removed Trinidad and Tobago from its list of Developing Countries. 

The country is also the most educated, computer literate and developed country in the CARICOM, which includes Haiti with only 22% of its students entering secondary school, literacy rates under 60%, and foreign direct investment averaging under US $180 million annually.
 
By comparison T&T has universal, preschool, primary and secondary education complete with free laptops and over 60% of eligible students receiving state funded tertiary education. The Mitsubishi investment in La Brea alone exceeds US $800 million - four times that of Haiti.
 
T&T was in economic decline in 2010 and the PP administration transformed thyat to growth and stability with low, single-digit inflation, down from high double digits in 2010. Unemployment is at three per cent and T&T's foreign reserves are in excess of US$10 billion. In addition there is now irrefutable evidence of a growing energy sector, happening alongside increasingly robust activity and revenues from non-energy industries.
 
When the PP took office Foreign Direct Investment was US$540 million. Today that is US$3 billion, with substantial increases in the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund balance and assured investments by global conglomerates such as BP, Shell and Mitsubishi.