Good, vague and optimistic were some of the reactions of South businessmen in the wake of Finance Minister Winston Dookeran's $49 billion 2010/2011 budget yesterday. President of the San Fernando Business Association, Kieran Singh, said: "I will definitely say the Government put forward a good budget for the people." He was especially pleased with plans for the the expansion of the San Fernando General Hospital to include a new wing, comprising a pharmacy and wards. "It will definitely help. There is always a shortage of beds at the hospital," he added. Singh also agreed with the increase in fines for littering, saying: "It is a good move to deter people from polluting the environment."
Touching on promised incentives to small businesses and diversifying the economy, he described it as "a step in the right direction." Applauding the move to continue with the expansion of the highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin and replacing the rapid rail project with an alternative transport system, Singh said: "That is an excellent idea because very soon there will be a gridlock." However, Penal Chamber president Lincoln Ragbirsingh was not impressed. Although it was a well-structured budget, Ragbirsingh said, it was too vague.
He added: "It lacked details. We touched on everything, yet it says nothing. It seems to be a rerun of their manifesto. They stop Alutrint. We knew that. "They stopped rapid rail, we knew that already. They did not say how they are going to implement the things they spoke about." With the economy on the slowdown, he said, the budget did not address in detail how jobs would be created and the economy stimulated. Former president of the Point Fortin Chamber Francis Bertrand said while details still needed to be worked out "we remain quietly optimistic about the plans for the south western peninsula."
However, Bertrand said, it was interesting that the minister gave a completion date–2013–for the Point Fortin Hospital but did not mention a start date. A ferry service to Point Fortin was not addressed in the budget but Bertrand hoped Works Minister Jack Warner would not renege on his promise to introduce the service next year.