A FULL-SCALE political conflict has broken out between incoming Prime Minister Stuart Young and Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
The dispute, which was simmering for several months, has worsened, with close allies of Young pushing for Imbert to withdraw his candidacy for the upcoming general election.
Young’s operatives are advocating for attorney Raydon Dalrymple-Watts to become the candidate for Diego Martin North-East, easing out Imbert, who has represented the constituency since 1991.
“He is a drag on the PNM and could cost us votes,” a Young associate said of Imbert, citing several public controversies, including the tiff over $2.6 billion with Auditor General Jaiwantee Ramdass.
Young and several other government ministers are reportedly rankled by the Privy Council’s strident criticism of Imbert in an appeal concerning the ongoing litigation involving Ramdass.
That storm follows criticisms of the Finance Minister for the declining state of the economy, the need for continuous borrowings, and the absence of diversification.
Imbert has been slammed for inequitable distribution of scarce foreign exchange, the slow pace of issuing Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds, and policies that have led to the widening of the gap between rich and poor.
Trinidad and Tobago has become the only Caricom country with an outflow of direct foreign investment.
The economy has declined by 18 per cent since Imbert was put in charge of the national purse.
There were fiscal deficits in nine of the 10 national budgets he presented.
The American Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Amcham) has said the vast majority of its members lack confidence in the economy.
International economic agencies have also commented negatively on the state of the economy.
Imbert’s tendency toward haughtiness is not working well in his relations with ministerial colleagues, some of whom are angry that they are not receiving funds to complete projects before the election.
Recent meetings to discuss financial allocations have either been cancelled or have been tense.
The Finance Minister recently blamed lower energy production for a cash flow problem leading to a delay in disbursing VAT.
This was seen as a criticism of Young, who is the Minister of Energy.
Political insiders say Young is looking for new faces to present to the electorate and that Imbert would attract public antagonism.
With Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley and National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds withdrawing from the upcoming polls, Imbert is the only remaining parliamentarian from the team of 1991.
In recent months, Imbert was replaced as Acting Prime Minister and PNM Chairman, in favour of Young, who entered electoral politics in 2015.
But Imbert’s loyalists are fighting back.
One paid propagandist pointed fingers at an unnamed “senior government official” for Dalrymple-Watts seeking to be screened as the candidate.
The Imbert advocate claimed that two PNM senators were approached “at the last minute to contest the seat.”
The activist argued that the aspirant candidate has “no track record with the constituency.”
Imbert, 67, has indicated that he would like to serve one more term as a Member of Parliament.
But his political future is in the hands of Young, with whom he is feuding.
