00:00 Political leader Timothy Hamill-Smith says 90 percent of persons they have spoken with
00:06 are happy for the formation of a new entity.
00:09 Further, he tells us, crime remains a major challenge in this country, and it's an area
00:16 his party intends to tackle head-on.
00:18 TIMOTHY HAMILL-SMITH, Political Leader, National Coalition for the Prevention of Crime in Tibet
00:19 "Can we go to foreign investors and say, 'Come to Trinidad and Tobago?'
00:23 It virtually -- crime puts a stranglehold on that.
00:28 And unless you get a hold of crime, corruption that just envelops the whole of Trinidad and
00:35 Tobago, then you are going to be left without any opportunity to transform the economy,
00:43 to grow the economy, to provide the jobs, to bring inflation under control."
00:49 He also explains the reason for the name Hope.
00:51 TIMOTHY HAMILL-SMITH, Political Leader, National Coalition for the Prevention of Crime in Tibet
00:52 "It's fair enough to ask this, 'Why Hope?'
00:56 So if you think the status quo that we experience right now is good, then you don't need Hope.
01:04 But that is not the response we're getting from the people.
01:08 They recognize that neither the parties that currently exist have any solution to the problems
01:19 that face the country.
01:22 And we feel we can dramatically make some changes which will allow for the life of the
01:30 people."
01:31 Meanwhile, Deputy Political Leader Karen Nunez-Teixeira says they have a very focused team, with years
01:38 of experience in various fields within the party to improve the country's conditions.
01:44 She notes with concern the forex issues currently plaguing TNT.
01:49 KAREN NUNEZ-TEIXEIRA, Deputy Political Leader, National Coalition for the Prevention of Crime
01:54 in Tibet "What we know is that from about 2014, our
01:55 foreign exchange receipts have gone from 10-something billion to now about 6.2 billion.
02:00 The central bank governor said within a few months this year, it fell by 400 million.
02:05 So you look at it, you need that to buy goods and services."
02:09 Mrs. Nunez-Teixeira is also questioning government's efforts to take the nation beyond oil and gas.
02:15 KAREN NUNEZ-TEIXEIRA, Deputy Political Leader, National Coalition for the Prevention of Crime
02:16 in Tibet "You know we are an energy economy.
02:18 You know the level of volatility.
02:20 You know that we are running out of gas.
02:22 You are hoping we get the dragon fruit, which I have my concerns about.
02:27 Manatee, that has not come on board.
02:29 So what have you done in an interim to develop other streams of foreign exchange to give
02:35 people real entrepreneurial opportunities as they have in Jamaica?"
02:40 The party says hope will not only bring a change in party, but real change to society.
02:48 Nicole M Romany, TV6 News.
02:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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