President of the Joint Consultative Council, Afra Raymond, has criticised the Minister of Works and Infrastructure Emmanuel George for a lack of planning in the experimental traffic plan for West Port of Spain, that was started on July 16.

On Monday George held a media conference to update the public on adjustments made to the traffic plan, which has made Ariapita Avenue into a one-way route heading east and the Western Main Road a one-way route heading west.

Speaking at the 12th Annual Transatlantic Trade and Investment Symposium at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann's, Port of Spain, yesterday, Raymond said having too much money was this country's problem and warned visitors from Africa about falling into a similar trap.

"We have so much money in Trinidad and Tobago we have stopped budgeting. The Ministry of Finance and all, they don't budget again. We don't budget, we don't plan. It's a fact, we don't plan, we get things unannounced.

"They start and then they say they going and start to plan it. Like Emmanuel George, who was on TV last night, saying that they going to measure the traffic to see where to put the crossings, to cross the road in Woodbrook, and they started this two weeks ago and they now going to start to plan. We get lots of that type of madness."

"This is a warning to those people who are from the continent (Africa), those people who are from the motherland, this is a warning of what could happen. There is a challenge in terms of losing your way because we have lost our way.

Raymond said because Trinidad and Tobago has gained more wealth in 50 years of Independence than anybody could have imagined, the country has not had to struggle for the money.

"We have always had the money. We don't have to pass any international test, they don't have to satisfy any standards that is why we have so much nonsense going on in our country.

"The way things are running in this country now if we have ten big projects, and I say it without any fear of contradiction, the way things are running in this country now, eight or nine of those projects are going to go to foreign concerns and more particularly the Chinese," he said.

Raymond said, there is a lot of learning to take place as they venture out into business relationships with the countries of Africa. These need to be of mutual benefit, and require strategic appreciation.

He added, that this is a reflective period (Emancipation Day, Independence Day and Republic Day) and this country needs to find out where the country is going.