UNC Manifesto HighlightsPublished: 14 May 2010
http://guardian.co.tt/news/politics/2010/05/14/unc-manifesto-highlightsPolicy on seven (7) Development Pillars, which are interconnected and which constitute the cornerstones of our strategy for sustainable development of Trinidad and Tobago.
PILLAR 1: People-Centred Development – We Need Everyone and All Can Contribute
PILLAR 2: Poverty Eradication and Social Justice – Preference for Poor and Disadvantaged
PILLAR 3: National and Personal Security– Human Security for Peace and Prosperity
PILLAR 4: Information and Communication Technologies – Connecting T&T and Building
the New Economy
PILLAR 5: A More Diversified, Knowledge Intensive Economy – Building on the Native Genius of Our People
PILLAR 6: Good Governance– People Participation
PILLAR 7: Foreign Policy– Securing Our Place in the World
120 DAYS OF IMMEDIATE ACTION1. Every child going on to secondary school from the SEA will be provided with a laptop to begin their
secondary school education.
2. We will begin addressing the issue of securing and expanding GATE.
3. We will rescind the property tax.
4. We will establish a working committee to review all programmes targeted at poverty alleviation and
social support to make recommendations to:
a. Strengthen synergy, reach and impact through rationalisation and integration
b. Help households to step up to prosperity and to reduce the number of people classified as
poor by 2% each year.
5. We will begin an aggressive programme to fix all leaks in WASA’s pipelines, and establish an
emergency response unit for monitoring system dysfunction, unplanned disruptions and crisis
management.
6. We will coordinate integrated action on water resources management, drainage, irrigation, flooding, water capture, conservation, sustainable food production and food security through
synergistic deployment of human resources and equipment under state control in collaboration
with private contractors.
7. In partnership with CBOs and NGOs our government will release appropriate resources from the Green Fund to reforest areas that were burnt during the past dry season.
8. We will simultaneously begin the rehabilitation and paving of existing access roads and construction of new ones.
9. We will begin the process of establishing a Ministry of the People.
10. We will begin a review process for the minimum wage.
11. We will prepare an immediate action plan for containing criminal activities and reducing the number of murders – this first phase will be from June 2010 to December 2010.
12. We will begin to identify and address the fundamental challenges to the effective management of law and order.
13. We will deploy police on the streets, on the beat and in the communities and increase police presence everywhere.
14. We will initiate a process to make every police station a centre for crime containment and reduction, crime fighting, community policing, statistical information gathering and communication linked to the National Operations centre and we will establish five (5) model stations as the pilot.
15. We will begin the process of reviewing the laws and institutions, which address white-collar crime with a view to strengthening the laws.
16. We will strengthen the National Security Council to link intelligence gathering and assessment with strategy and execution in crime fighting.
17. We will replace the Senior Citizens’ Grant with Old Age Pension and increase it to $3,000.
18. We will look at the immediate challenges of each hospital and determine what needs to be done to make an immediate difference in the lives of citizens seeking care and we will act immediately on these – whether it is 50 more beds in a hospital, a vital piece of much-needed equipment or improving the effectiveness of delivery of emergency patient care.
19. We will establish a LIFE fund for life-saving surgery for children ($100m). This fund will be administered by an independent board in a fair, equitable, transparent and accountable manner.
20. We will begin the introduction of camera technology at traffic lights and set into motion an efficient system of ticketing offenders.
21. Each minister will be required to present a one-year action agenda for consideration and approval by Cabinet after consultation with senior ministerial staff within thirty (30) working days of swearing in. Each ministerial action agenda, once approved, will be included in the next budget.
22. Each ministry will be required to begin work on a five-year strategic plan within the first 60 days for completion by February 2011 within the framework of our manifesto.
23. We will establish an Economic Development Board which will consult with stakeholders and play an advisory role in policy formulation.
24. We will establish a Civil Society Board, to strengthen the voice and influence of NGOs and civil society organisations.
25. We will initiate consultation to develop a coherent export strategy, an industrial policy linked to knowledge formation and a national services industries competitiveness strategy with key
stakeholders.
SEE HERE FOR COMPLETE 2010 UNC Manifesto