Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John has revealed that 40% of the Ministry’s 2027 budget allocation will go towards repaying loans totalling billions of dollars.
“The Ministry is currently servicing 18 loans taken out by the previous administration. As at 30th September 2026, the outstanding balance stands at approximately $6.6 billion with repayments stretching all the way to 2032. So when they’re telling me they don’t want patching, well, are you leaving money for paving?”
She said that for every TT$100 the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure received for recurrent expenditure, a portion would go towards loan repayments.
“We were allocated $2.378 billion. It might sound big. But you know, of that 2.38 billion, 940 million, almost a billion dollars, which represents 40%, goes straight to repaying loans. The loans that the PNM took during their tenure. So this money sounds big, but this is not for roads, you know. A lot, 40% is, 40 cents on every dollar, it goes to pay for loans. It does not go to roads, it does not go to trains, but to debt.”
The Minister also highlighted what she described as a lack of maintenance of the Ministry’s assets under the former administration.
“The big Ministry of Works and Infrastructure don’t have a working truck. If today they tell me some job will start on Wednesday, add seven days to that. It will start in ten days. So when are you want to kill me? Oh god, don’t kill the Charlotteville girl, because just like you, I have to wait. I’m frustrated the same way.”