By KEN ALI
Somebody better quickly check up on Colm Imbert.
Over the past few days. the former Finance Minister has invoked the wildest voodoo economics in the country’s history.
And for a bizarre lagniappe. Imbert has applied apartheid — that dreadful form of brutal ethnic violence — into the politics of Trinidad and Tobago.
It is either that is his macabre version of early Carnival ole mas, or he needs urgent and intensive help.
Whichever it is, the politician who acted as prime minister and chaired the once-ruling party sounds absurdly out of touch and disturbingly irresponsible.
Imbert wrote on the X social media platform that “our economy is in trouble” because — trust me, he really said this — KFC’s sales have declined.
That is the profound economic analysis from the public official who presented nine national budgets, in which he announced major financial policies.
Forget that KFC jacked up its prices twice in recent months despite its parent company (which has other fast food products) pulling down a historic $1.3 billion annual profits.
In fact, the Prestige Holdings group has recently been reporting a steady climb in revenues and has been launching new stores.
Ever a poster boy for big business, Imbert is burdened by a supposed decline in chicken-and-chips sales not supported by raw statistics.
Then, in an inflammatory post on X (he has blocked me, by the way) he likens the planned national security zones to the cruel apartheid system.
Imbert’s recklessness puts him in the dubious company of some of his political colleagues, who are deliberately ignoring well-known crime realities.
Imbert knows better. of course, but provoking ethnic hate and stocking fear are bread-and-butter initiatives of the PNM in political opposition.
Imbert, now in his final term as a parliamentarian, has again come up short. stirring fear, injury and anger.
He needs help.
