. . . Not prepared to fund regional security budget
MONTEGO BAY, Trinidad (CMC) – Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday cautioned regional governments that Trinidad and Tobago does not operate like “an ATM card” while stating that the oil-rich twin-island republic was not prepared to fund the regional security budget. Persad-Bissessar spoke to reporters as she headed into the closing session of the four-day CARICOM heads of government summit here.
In terms of the regional security budget, she said that a proposal had been put on the table for a passenger security fee to be charged on all airline tickets, with a view to raising the US$40 million needed. However, that proposal did not enjoy the full backing of member states, Persad Bissessar said.
“So that’s where we are stuck because some nations are not of the view that we would want to put a passenger fee onto every ticket,” she said, adding that while Trinidad and Tobago was not asked to fund the regional budget “should the money not be forthcoming it would shut down several agencies that function at the moment such as IMPACS (the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security) the RSS (Regional Security System,) and so on.
“It will seriously compromise our security agenda for the region … but Trinidad and Tobago is not prepared to fund that entire programme.”
She also said that her government was reviewing a proposal for the establishment of a regional radar system that had been proposed to Caribbean leaders by the previous Patrick Manning government.