00:00And borrowing from my colleague and friend, the Minister of Agriculture, this is not the
00:07last budget presentation of the PNF.
00:10This is the last budget presentation before the 2025 election.
00:14But we'll be presenting the 2025 budget.
00:21A show of confidence from Finance Minister Coleman Booth as he wound up the Senate's
00:25debate of the government's appropriation bill for its 2025 financial year on Wednesday evening
00:32as the upcoming general election is due next year, 2025.
00:36The Prime Minister has not called the date for the next general election, but last month
00:41he spoke about how late it can occur while making an apparent reference to provisions
00:46in the Constitution.
00:47Elections that are anticipated to be held sometime in the not-too-distant future and
00:54can be held as late as November of 2025.
01:00On Wednesday evening, the Finance Minister was responding to expressions of confidence
01:04from opposition senators that their party would be victorious in the general election,
01:09including from Leader of Opposition Business Wade Mark on Monday.
01:13He did indicate that this would be the last time the government would be promoting tax
01:23amnesty in T&T.
01:24I want to tell the Minister of Finance if he has lost touch with reality.
01:33The people are saying this is the last time you will be given the opportunity to present
01:39the budget in this parliament.
01:42The Finance Minister swore to make one thing clear when he wound up the Senate's budget
01:46debate, where that prediction was consumed as Senate President Nigel De Freitas intervened.
01:52It has been my honour and privilege to present this 10th budget, and I look forward to presenting
02:07my 11th budget in 2025.
02:12The Finance Minister said Senator Mark's contributions are a repeat of those made in
02:17past budget debates.
02:19I understand what the problem is.
02:22I understand having contested the barritory election in 1991 and lost miserably to Linda
02:29Babylon, that pain, that bitterness is still there 34 years later or 33 years later.
02:38I understand Senator Mark's pain and his bitterness.
02:42Contemporary Opposition Senator Dominic Smith sought to explain what is at stake in the
02:46general election due in 2025.
02:49A time will come when people will have to make a decision, and that decision will determine
02:57the future of Trinidad and Tobago.
03:00And I am confident that the United National Congress, under the leadership of Kamala Prasad
03:05Possesso, is the answer to this call.
03:11While the Finance Minister said he did not recognize the contribution of two Temporary
03:15Opposition Senators, he did respond to a call the Opposition continues to make to the government.
03:22And, Mr. President, what is also tedious is call election now.
03:27Will that happen in 2020 and we win?
03:31So it's not a problem.
03:34Those expressions of confidence from the Finance Minister on Wednesday evening occurred the
03:38day before Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley's birthday on Thursday.
03:42Dr. Rowley left Trinidad and Tobago on Monday to fly to Samoa to lead the Trinidad and Tobago
03:47delegation at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
03:51Acting Prime Minister Stuart Young was among the members of Cabinet who used their Facebook
03:56pages to wish Dr. Rowley a happy birthday on Thursday, as the PNM has sought to dispel
04:02any concerns about its leadership going into the next general election.
04:07Drew Lebrown, TV6 News.
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