Although the economic statistics look good on paper, the fact is citizens life are worse today than ever before.

This from the Leader of the Opposition Basdeo Panday who is again slamming government for mishandling Trinidad and Tobago’s economy.

Warning that the country is on the brink of a recession in 2009, he said because government did not heed the advice to curb spending, there would be further hardships on the population.

Panday added that the PNM administration squandered the first oil boom in the 1970s, and the current PNM regime was doing likewise.

Charging that health, education, the utilities and the justice system were collapsing Panday claimed that $200 billion had passed through the country like a dose of salts.

The Couva north parliamentarian said with the predicted economic slowdown consumers would be forced to buy less and the reduced revenues would prompt companies to cut back on their operations.

This he warned would result in retrenchment, wage freeze or shut downs.