Your Questions

Here is a condensed list of the questions that have emerged from you, the members of this movement, over the course of the last 2-3 weeks. Some questions have been formatted but the content and intent remains intact.

1. To the Ldr of the Opp: Should you be elected to office, what immediate steps would you take to (i) halt the increase in serious crime and (ii) initiate a reduction in serious crime?

2. To both: What measures would a government, led by you, implement to (i) improve the distribution of a safe and reliable water supply (ii) in the midst of a debilitating drought, what long term measures would your administration undertake to secure a reliable source of potable water?

3. To the Ldr of the Opp: With a brief explanation of your answer, do you see the need for reform of bodies such as (i) The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards, (ii) Town and Country, (iii) Board of Inland Revenue?

4. To both: Let us imagine a post-energy Trinidad and Tobago. From what source, in your opinion, do you see the majority of our nation's revenue being obtained and what steps would a government, led by you, take to bring this to fruition?

5. To the PM: There has been much agitation about basic human rights for the unprivileged and differently abled in society. How has your government sought to relieve the plight of such citizens and what measures have you identified still remain to be addressed?

6. To the PM: What is the status of the proposed Mega Farms and how close, in your assessment, has the nation reached in obtaining Food Security? How do you respond to critics who say that much arable land has been destroyed for the use of housing and other non-agricultural projects?

7. To the Ldr of the Opp: Inflation has ranged between 1% and 15% over the last 3 years. What immediate measures would your administration take to stabalise the inflation rate, while at the same time ensuring that economic growth takes place?

8. To the PM: As a 4 term Prime Minister who has served 13 years, do you agree that there should be a limit on the number of terms that a Prime Minister could serve? Further, do you believe that the date of elections be a set date, with the PM having no prerogative in the naming of an election date? Please explain your choice of answer.

9. To the Ldr of the Opp: In many countries, proportional representation has led to the formation of minority governments or unstable coalitions. Are you in support of this system of electing governments and, if yes, how do you counter the argument that it leads to unstable administrations.

10. To both: Switzerland has had a long history of Canton rule and government by referendum. Do you see a place for National Referendums on major issues, should constitutional reform be effected in Trinidad and Tobago?

11. To the PM: Local Government Elections has been postponed for 3 years pending Local Government Reform. Are you, and by extension, your administration happy with the progress of such reform and, should you be re-elected, how soon can we see the implementation of such reform and Local Government Elections?

12. To the Ldr of the Opp: You have stated that, should you be elected PM, your administration would provide laptops to all school children. This can be viewed a a very superficial and populist proposal, as many of our school children are more computer literate than their teachers. What policies governing teaching via IT would your administration implement to avoid the abuse, misuse and under-use of these computers?

13. To both: Is there a need for reform of the Teaching service? If yes, what aspects of the Teaching service do you view as needing to be reformed and how does your party propose to deal with it?

14. To the Ldr of the Opp: Your party has criticised the amount of funds distributed to other Caribbean Islands in recent years, namely the poorer and lesser developed nations. Does your administration and you, as Prime Minister of the wealthiest Caribbean nation, intend to continue assistance programmes to these nations? If yes, how will it differ from the current administration and if no, how will you address the economic fallout in Trinidad and Tobago by the failure of these island economies?

15. To both: Do you believe transparency and accountability of Campaign Finance? Are you (i) willing to make it law and (ii) in the interest of transparency, accountability and goodwill, fully disclose your sources of funding for the current election campaign?

16. To the PM: Many have criticised CEPEP and URP as a hotbed of alleged corruption and a channel to finance a criminal element in society. How do you respond to that and what role do you envisage for CEPEP and URP should you be returned to office?

17. To the Ldr of the the Opp: The Caribbean Court of Justice was established under the watch of a previous administration of which you were a part. What is your party's official position on the CCJ becoming the final Court of Appeal in Trinidad and Tobago?

18. To Ldr of the Opp: Your party has criticised the construction of a Rapid Rail system. What tangible proposals does your party have to reduce the massive congestion that leads to millions of hours of lost productivity each year?

19. To the PM: Has your administration taken steps to move the government into the 21st century, in terms of Information Technology? What is the status, if initiated, of a fully computerised Licensing Department, Medical Records, Criminal Databases and Police Records among other things?

20. To the PM: The implementation of the Property Tax was halted soon before the calling of General Elections for the purpose of review. What is the nature of this review and as it is now law, if returned to office, when will implementation begin?

21. To the Ldr of the Opp: Your party has roundly criticised the government's housing drive. As Prime Minister, and for the some 100,000+ applicants for houses, how will your government's policy on housing differ from the present?

22. To both: How do you view the role of the Rent Control board, and what assurances can you give tenants who have seen their rents double, triple and raised without explanation by landlords?

23. To the PM: What is the status of the Scarborough Hospital and the National Oncology Centre? How much more money is needed for the completion of these projects and have new dates of completion been determined?

24. To Both: Many times we hear of pleas from distraught parents whose children require medical attention abroad. How do you propose to deal with special needs medical cases, where care cannot be obtained locally and where hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars are required, per case, to be treated abroad?

25. To the PM: There has been protracted periods where appointments to the offices of DPP and Commissioner of Police. Do you believe that independent bodies, such as the Judicial and Legal Services Commission be allowed to appoint persons to those offices without the threat of veto from the Prime Minister? Do you believe the power of veto by the Prime Minister in these appointments blurs the lines between the separation of powers of the Executive and Judiciary? Explain your answer.

26. To Both: Would your administration agree to audits and performance appraisals of your Ministers of Government, Permanent Secretaries and other senior public servants on a regular (annual) basis?

27. To the Ldr of the Opp: How does your party propose to aid small business, cottage industries and entrepreneurship from the aspect of funding (loans), education and training and marketability for exportation?

28. To Both: Oil prices are currently in the region of US$80 a barrel. What is your party's policy on treating with debt financing and the issuance of new government debt to stimulate the economy and finance development?

Thank you to: Joanne Haynes, Karen Hunter, Brandon Forde, Patricia Smart, Shivan Singh, Alana Abdool, Gabrielle Gellineau, Jacqueline Morris, Alvin Narine, Marc 'Roots' de Verteuil and Yugashe Sampath.

Please continue to build on YOUR compilation of questions for this debate and encourage others to do the same. We are very serious about this debate coming off.

Letter of Invitation to the Prime Minister

April 21, 2010

Hon. Mr. Patrick Manning
Prime Minister
Trinidad and Tobago
Balisier House,
1 Tranquility Street, Port of Spain.

Dear Mr. Manning,

We cordially invite you in your capacity as Prime Minister, Political Leader and Prime Ministerial candidate of the People’s National Movement to participate at the inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Prime Ministerial Debate, on Sunday 9 May, 2010, commencing at 8 p.m. The proposed venue is at the Learning Resource Centre at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. You will participate along
with the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Leader of the Opposition of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Political Leader of the United National Congress and the Prime Ministerial candidate of the coalition of opposition parties. The details of the debate have been attached.

This debate presents an opportunity to raise, in a non-partisan forum, the issues which will define the 2010 General Election, slated for May 24. The debate is structured to be unbiased and informative to the electorate, as the ultimate objective is to elicit strong and comprehensive answers to questions
which would have been sourced from a variety of channels, including the media, members of the public and youth. It will be a moderated debate, with little direct interaction between you and your opposing candidate, although provisions will obviously be made for answers and rebuttals of statements made
by your rival.

Televised political debates have long been a staple of democracies such as the United States of America and with the recent airing of the first Prime Ministerial debate for the United Kingdom’s May 6 poll, we believe that the time is ripe for Trinidad and Tobago to take a more mature political step by having our candidates address issues in a similar forum.

The selection of the debate date is deliberate in that it comes after the filing of Nomination Papers on May 3 and is set approximately 2 weeks prior to Election Day. The date and time, however, are flexible and can be moved to accommodate another mutually agreed upon date and time. In addition we are prepared to furnish both you and your rival candidate with a selection of questions that will be asked
on that night. This will allow you an adequate opportunity to prepare answers for some aspects of the debate.

Upon a positive response from either or both you and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, we will then invite as many various media houses as possible to cover the event. This will allow both candidates to reach an audience of swing and undecided voters who are awaiting an opportunity such as this to be
informed of your ideas, philosophies and plans for office, somewhat unlike the audience that you will find on the campaign trail, most of whom may have already decided on their support for you. Please be advised also, that, in the event that the invitation is declined by one candidate and accepted by another, we propose to move ahead with a full 2 hour Q&A session with the accepting candidate.

We also take this opportunity to ask you and your campaign team to submit 5 questions to be posed directly to your rival candidate. Of these 5 questions, 2-3 will be selected to be asked on the night of the debate.

As a four-time elected Prime Minister of the Republic and the longest serving Member of Parliament in the history of Trinidad and Tobago you can appreciate that our politics have seen quite an evolution, with a more informed and educated electorate which now demands that certain issues be addressed in a more sober forum, rather than on the hustings of an election campaign. We hope that you view this
as an opportunity to elaborate on your achievements in office, as well as to elucidate on your proposed policies, ideas, goals and continued dreams for Trinidad and Tobago whether as stated in your Vision 2020 policy document or otherwise.

In the interest of transparency and non-partisanship, please find attached a copy of the letter of invitation sent to the Honorable Leader of the Opposition as well as a brief on the proposed structure of the debate. Please feel free to submit any concerns that you may have on the format or content of the debate, as the organisers are amenable to making changes, especially if it confirms your participation in
the debate. Any such changes will be forwarded to your rival candidate for her consideration, but ultimately, the organisers reserve the right to the structure and content of the debate, full and final details of which will be furnished at least 5 days prior to the slated date for the debate.

We thank you for your consideration and look forward to a positive response. In the interest of time, which as you are well aware, is running short, we ask for a response to this letter as soon as is possible and preferably within a week of the above date. Please contact us at the above email address or telephone numbers to advise us on your decision within that one week period.

Yours sincerely and on behalf of the Citizens of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,

Dr. Ryan Ramoutar MBBS (UWI)
Mr. Kieran Khan BSc (UWI)
Mr. Dale Ramirez

Letter of Invitation to the Leader of the Opposition

April 21, 2010

Hon. Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Leader of the Opposition

Trinidad and Tobago

Rienzi Complex,

Couva

Dear Mrs. Persad-Bissessar,

We cordially invite you in your capacity as Opposition Leader, Political Leader of the United National Congress and Prime Ministerial Candidate of the Opposition parties to participate at the inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Prime Ministerial Debate, on Sunday 9 May, 2010, commencing at 8 p.m. The proposed venue is at the Learning Resource Centre at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. You will participate along with the Hon. Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Prime Ministerial candidate of the People’s National Movement. The details of the debate have been attached.

This debate represents a singular opportunity to raise, in a non-partisan forum, the issues which will define the 2010 General Election, slated for May 24. The debate is structured to be unbiased and informative to the electorate, as the ultimate objective is to elicit strong and comprehensive answers to questions which would have been sourced from a variety of channels, including the Media, members of the public and youth. It will be a moderated debate, with little direct interaction between you and your opposing candidate, although provisions will obviously be made for answers and rebuttals of statements made by your rival.

Televised political debates have long been a staple of democracies such as the United States of America and with the recent airing of the first Prime Ministerial debate for the United Kingdom’s May 6 poll, we believe that the time is ripe for Trinidad and Tobago to take a more mature political step by having our candidates address issues in a similar forum.

The selection of the debate date is deliberate in that it comes after the filing of Nomination Papers on May 3 and is set approximately 2 weeks prior to Election Day. The date and time, however, are flexible and can be moved to accommodate another mutually agreed upon date and time. In addition we are prepared to furnish both you and your rival candidate with a selection of questions that will be asked on that night. This will allow you an adequate opportunity to prepare answers for some aspects of the debate.

Upon a positive response from either or both you and the Hon. Prime Minister we will then invite as many various media houses to cover the event. This will allow both candidates to reach an audience of swing voters who are awaiting an opportunity such as this to be informed of your ideas, philosophies and plans for office, somewhat unlike the audience that you will find on the campaign trail, most of whom may have already decided on their support for you. Please be advised also, that, in the event that the invitation is declined by one candidate and accepted by another, we propose to move ahead with a full 2 hour Q&A session with the accepting candidate.

We also take this opportunity to ask you and your campaign team to submit 5 questions to be posed directly to your rival candidate. Of these 5 questions, 2-3 will be selected to be asked on the night of the debate.

As a new candidate for the Office of the Prime Minister, we hope that you find some intrinsic value in this opportunity, as one to share yourself with the national audience through your policies, ideas, goals and dreams for Trinidad and Tobago.

In the interest of transparency and non-partisanship, please find attached a copy of the letter of invitation sent to the Honorable Prime Minister as well as a brief on the proposed structure of the debate.

Please feel free to submit any concerns that you may have on the format or content of the debate, as the organisers are amenable to making changes, especially if it confirms your participation in the debate. Any such changes will be forwarded to your rival candidate for his consideration, but ultimately, the organisers reserve the right to the structure and content of the debate, full and final details of which will be furnished at least 5 days prior to the slated date for the debate.

We thank you for your consideration and look forward to a positive response. In the interest of time, which as you are well aware, is running short, we ask for a response to this letter as soon as is possible and preferably within a week of the above date. Please contact us at the above email address or telephone numbers to advise us on your decision within that one week period.

Yours Sincerely and on behalf of the Citizens of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,

Dr. Ryan Ramoutar MBBS (UWI)

Mr. Kieran Khan BSc (UWI)

Mr. Dale Ramirez

Debate Format

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Ministerial Debate 2010

The Organisation

The Trinidad and Tobago Prime Ministerial Debate 2010 was born out of a great need that a group of young working people sought to identify and satisfy. They say that necessity is the mother of invention and in speaking with various persons from all walks of life, it became clear that in a snap election scenario, the opportunity to fully articulate the numerous issues of the day would be overlooked in a short time frame by the mass media and the short campaign season. To this end, we created the opportunity ourselves, and believe that the leaders of our young republic would see this as a chance to share with the younger generation, all the ideas, dreams and hopes that we share with you, for our great nation.

Debate Proposal

Proposed Day: Sunday 9 May, 2010. 8:00pm-10:00pm

Proposed Venues: UWI Lecture Halls, Cipriani Labour College, Queen's Hall, Rudrinath Capildeo Centre.

Scheduled Structure

Six (6) debate sessions/topics and one (1) People's Forum Session

Proposed Itinerary

8:00pm -8:01pm Introduction by the Moderator

8:01pm - 8:03pm Opening Statement (Prime Minister)

8:03pm - 8:05pm Opening Statement (Leader of the Opposition)

8:05pm - 8:13pm Constitutional Reform

8:13pm - 8:15pm Break

8:15pm - 8:27pm Health and Social Services

8:27pm - 8:30pm Break

8:30pm - 8:43pm Public Utilities and National Infrastructure

8:43pm - 8:45pm Break

8:45pm - 8:57pm Education and the Environment

8:57pm - 9:00pm Break

9:00pm - 9:13pm Economy and Finance

9:13pm - 9:15pm Break

9:15pm - 9:27pm National and Personal Security

9:27pm - 9:30pm Break

9:30pm - 9:43pm People's Forum

9:43pm - 9:45pm Break

9:45pm - 9:53pm People's Forum

9:53pm - 9:56pm Closing Statement (Leader of the Opposition)

9:56pm - 9:59pm Closing Statement (Prime Minister)

9:59pm - 10:00pm Moderator Closing Statement

END OF LIVE COVERAGE. FORUM MAY CONTINUE AT THE VENUE UPON THE CONSENT OF BOTH CANDIDATES.

Additional considerations

The studio audience will comprise a list of invited members of each political party, members of the press corps, as well as select members from civil society and the public. Candidates will also be asked to submit a list of invitees (number to be determined) who would accompany them to the debate. The format will not allow direct interaction via Q&A with the studio audience, as the intention is to ventilate all topics as quickly, but as clearly as possible.

In general, candidates will be allowed one minute per answer, as questions will be as clear and direct as possible, and the candidate will have the opportunity to prepare notes on some questions in advance, which will be sent at least five (5) days prior to the debate. After one minute, a chime will be sounded which will indicate that the candidate then has a maximum of 15 seconds to conclude the point in entirety. Candidates will also be given the opportunity for rebuttal and follow up if so indicated by the candidate himself/herself or by the moderator.

Debate Topics

Debate Topics

Education

- Policy on Tertiary Education and financing

- Early Childhood Policies

- Retraining Programs

Health and Social Services

- Construction/ Refurbishment of Hospitals and health centres

- Expansion of Health Services, including 24-hr health centres

- Adequate Equipment and Staffing for existing hospitals and health centres

- Funding for special medical cases where treatment is required abroad

Environment

- Agriculture

- Food Security

National and Personal Security

- Drug Interdiction

- Gang control

- Gun control

- Crime Detection policies

- Police Service Reform proposals

- Infrastructure for Police Service

- Training

- Issues in the Judiciary including courtroom backlogs

- Reform of method of appointing offices including DPP

- Issues of Corruption

Public Utilities and National Infrastructure

- Electricity Grid

- Water Security

- Road Network

- Public Transport

Economy and Finance

- Foreign Exchange Policy

- Debt Policy

- Economic Diversification

- Policies on Management of the current recession

- Employment Policy and Job Creation

- Poverty Alleviation and Eradication

- Vision 2020

Constitutional Reform

- Local Government Reform

- Term Limits

- Executive Presidency

- Right of Recall Constitution

People's Forum

Questions fielded from members of the public and the press corps.

- 5 questions to be submitted by each Candidate, 2-3 of which will be posed to the opposing candidate

as selected by the moderator on the evening of the debate.

- 10 questions (or more, depending on time constraints) submitted by the public electronically via Facebook, Twitter, email, fax and interviews with the general public.

- 5 questions to be selected from a pool submitted by members of the Press.

Proposed Framework for the First Prime Ministerial Debate

Proposed Day: A Sunday Evening. 7:00pm-9:00pm (Date and Times to be mutually agreed re: Candidates, Organisers and Broadcast Network(s)

Proposed Venues:

UWI Lecture Halls, Cipriani Labour College, Queen's Hall, Rudrinath Capildeo Centre.


6 debate Sessions
1 People's Forum Session

Topics:

Health and Social Services
- Construction/ Refurbishment of Hospitals and Health Centres
- Expansion of Health Services, including 24hr health centres
- Adequate Equipment and Staffing for existing hospitals and health centres
- Funding for special medical cases where treatment is required abroad

Environment

- Agriculture
- Food Security

National and Personal Security

- Drug Interdiction
- Gang control
- Gun control
- Crime Detection policies
- Police Service Reform proposals
- Infrastructure for Police Service

- Training
- Issues in the Judiciary including courtroom backlogs
- Reform of method of appointing offices including DPP
-Issues of Corruption

Education

- Policy on Tertiary Education and financing
- Early Childhood Policies

Public Utilities and National Infrastructure
- Electricity Grid
- Water Security
- Road Network
- Public Transport

Economy and Finance

- Foreign Exchange Policy
- Debt Policy
- Economic Diversification
- Policies on Management of the current recession
- Employment Policy and Job Creation
- Poverty Alleviation and Eradication
- Vision 2020

Constitutional Reform

- Local Government Reform
- Term Limits
- Executive Presidency
- Right of Recall Constitution

People's Forum

Questions fielded from members of the public / press corps

5 questions to be submitted by each Candidate, 2 of which will be posed to the opposing candidate as selected by the moderator.

10 questions (or more, depending on time constraints) submitted by the public electronically via Facebook, Twitter, email, fax.

5 questions to be selected from a pool submitted by members of the Press.


Proposed Itinerary

7:00pm -7:01pm Indroduction by the Moderator

7:01pm - 7:03pm Opening Statement (Prime Minister)

7:03pm - 7:05pm Opening Statement (Leader of the Opposition)

7:05pm - 7:13pm Constitutional Reform

7:13pm - 7:15pm Break

7:15pm - 7:27pm Health and Social Services

7:27pm - 7:30pm Break

7:30pm - 7:43pm Public Utilities and National Infrastructure

7:43pm - 7:45pm Break

7:45pm - 7:57pm Education and the Environment

7:57pm - 8:00pm Break

8:00pm - 8:13pm The Economy

8:13pm - 8:15pm Break

8:15pm - 8:27pm National and Personal Security

8:27pm - 8:30pm Break

8:30pm - 8:43pm People's Forum

8:43pm - 8:45pm Break

8:45pm - 8:53pm People's Forum

8:53pm - 8:56pm Closing Statement (Leader of the Opposition)

8:56pm - 8:59pm Closing Statement (Prime Minister)

8:59pm - 9:00pm Moderator Closing Statement

END OF LIVE COVERAGE. FORUM MAY CONTINUE AT THE VENUE UPON THE CONSENT OF *BOTH* CANDIDATES.