PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) —Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley Monday reiterated his concern that Trinidad and Tobago nationals were “living well above our means” as the oil-rich twin island republic deals with an economic downturn occasioned by a decline in oil prices on the global market.

Rowley, speaking on television here, said that since coming to office in September last year, his Administration has had to deal with the situation by reducing expenditure significantly.

“We have cut out the abuse of public resources, we have reduced public travelling even though we have to travel to conduct business…we have reduced the level of certain things and we are focused and ensuring that what we have is made available in the best way.

“We have serious debt issues and borrowing issues, you have seen us coming to the Parliament to lift the ceilings so that Government can continue to borrow to fund,” he said, telling viewers that “given what has happened to us as a country, we are currently living well above our means”.

He said the Government policies were aimed at reducing and reversing the tight economic situation and he does not intend to “panic anybody…while not worsening the situation”.

Rowley again promised public servants that the billions of dollars in arrears owed to them as a result of the agreement signed with the last Government prior to the September 7 General Election could be paid, hopefully, by the start of June.

He said that the TT$4.5 billion (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) needed to pay public servants has to be found, saying “when that decision was made to do that, the money wasn’t there”.

“So we have to find that money to pay, but the Government is also mindful that what we think is more important is not to ensure that we pay the back pay immediately but to make sure that the workers who receive that back pay do not lose their jobs in the process. It is a balancing act.

“We will look for the money by mid-year and we are now thinking that we could begin to do that by June or so. That’s how you manage yourself out of a difficult situation.”

Rowley, who last weekend described as “punitive and disrespectful in the extreme” the decision by ArcelorMittal Point Lisas — a subsidiary of the world’s leading steel and mining company — to end its operations here and send home more than 600 employees, maintained his position on the issue during the interview.

“When the company did its disclosure, which wasn’t a shutdown or retrenchment, it was a temporary closure and they said reasons were given which were external pressures. Now we in the Government, we are hearing this decision is now influenced by certain increases that are surprising to us, water rates and telephone rates…

“All over the world in any country you are operating, you can anticipate what a Government might do but you don’t hold it up as policy and if there are discussions to take place around these things, then maybe the conversations can take place, because remember even before this thing happened certain kinds of conditions existed to allow that steel company to continue in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Rowley said that the company is among the largest users of electricity and that there were discussions taking place regarding the rates.

During the wide-ranging interview that also centered on West Indies cricket, Rowley defended two embattled ministers — Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis and Housing Minister Marlene McDonald — saying that he was awaiting the response of the Integrity Commission before taking any decision on whether to remove them from office.

Rowley also said that he believes the government “has to level with the population” on all issues, particularly the state of the economy “on an ongoing basis”.

“If people are told that and they understand that you can’t give more and more from less and less then the behaviour, the responses, are going to be reasonable. All we are asking for is a reasonable response because if the country does not have it within their means, shouting and threatening is not going to produce it.

“What we have to do is to try and make ourselves more productive and improve our attitude so we can make good for ourselves and we have more to share. We also have a serious problem in confining our consumption to what we can afford…so these are decisions we have to make and those kinds of sensible decisions over time should take us out from where we are.”