James Carville, the communications guru of former United States President Bill Clinton, coined a phrase to express the key national issue of that period.
“It’s the economy, stupid,” Carville repeatedly said.
The message contributed immensely in the 1996 re-election of Clinton.
The just-released Economic Bulletin of the Central Bank tells us in a most pointed way what is the critical issue in Trinidad and Tobago – the Economy.
The Central Bank reveals an economic landscape of low revenues, high unemployment, reduced energy outputs, lack of diversification, steep debt, weak commercial activities – and more.
That is the worrying state of the economy under the incompetent Rowley Government.
Equally bad is that there is no plan to rescue the economy, which is unlike what is taking place around the world, even at other Caricom countries.
The future, the Bank stated, depends on fiscal, monetary and structural policies.
But the PNM regime has not implemented any remedial measures – not even recommendations of its own Roadmap to Recovery Committee.
The Carville maxim is so relevant to Trinidad and Tobago, today.