Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh says that one of the key hurdles in achieving long-term national development is the lack of consistency between programmes during different political administrations.
Responding to concerns from independent senator Dr Varma Deyalsingh – his cousin – over TT's five-year political cycle hampering meaningful development, in the Senate on Thursday, Deyalsingh said he understood the challenges faced in maintaining strategies over successive governments.
Referring to the economic development plan Vision 2020 which was launched by then Prime Minister Patrick Manning in 2005, Deyalsingh said while the programme gathered academics and experts of different political persuasions to work together, it was rejected by the People's Partnership administration which entered office five years later.
Deyalsingh argued that such behaviour is not conducive to long-term development.
"It (Vision 2020) was not a PNM thing.
"However, when 2010 came and Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the UNC came into office, do you know what was the outcome of Vision 2020?
"The UNC government dumped it in the La Basse.
"They collected all the copies at the Ministry of Public Administration, all the copies, CDs, hard copies.
"We are suffering today because of the lost years between 2010 and 2015.
"And that's why you can't have national development."
Deyalsingh said then chairman of the PNM Franklin Khan was able to salvage some of the items and said common ground must be found between governments.
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