Dear Editor,
Watson Duke, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Timothy Hamel Smith, Gary Griffith, Phillip Alexander, Hubert Volney, Fuad Abu Bakr, Louis Lee Sing, Lonsdale Williams, Robert Amar, Errol Fabien, Lennox Smith, Kirk Waithe, Umar Abdulla, Inshan Ishmael, Kenneth Munroe Brown, Nikoli Edwards, and Makela Panday are all names that at one time or another have been reported to be interested in the welfare of Trinidad & Tobago. There are much more. In Trinidad & Tobago there are more than enough individuals, who has indicated their interest in making the Nation better, to contest every political seat in the country. Yet when election comes around the so-called “third parties” fail to find candidates to contest every seat and thus do not offer a threat to the two major political parties.
One may ask, why is this so when there are so many individuals and groups that seem to be saying the same thing? The question is pertinent as it leads to a bigger question, are the political ambitions of the individuals and groups self-serving or nationalistic? If the aspiring politicians desire is to find a realistic path to good governance, based on the foundations of honesty, integrity, racial equality, social upliftment, and service to country, then there can be no reason for people of liked minds to be seeking political office along different paths.
Perhaps no one wants to face the possibility that the endeavours of some may not be about what’s best for Trinidad & Tobago but what is best for the sect or self. Trinidad & Tobago does not need another group seeking to find ways to filter State funds to friends, family, and political financiers. The country cannot afford to continue wasting State funds on projects and programs that find ways to keep the poor relying on political parties for economic sustenance.
Trinidad & Tobago needs our best minds to chart a new economic path to meet the demands of a changing world. We need dedicated politicians to end the excuses for not being able to distribute water to a mere 1.4 million people over a land of 70 by 40 miles. We need new roadways to access Chaguaramas, a mass transit system in partnership with our business community and many other strategic infrastructure developments. There must be national participation in the endeavour to restructure our governance model and reduce the obstacles to economic growth.
These and similar goals must be the objectives of those claiming to seek our national interest. That dedication to country must start with a determination to work with those of similar minds and goals to end the era of divisive politics and sectarian economic development. Over the next few months and years this new grouping must come together united in common purpose, or the Nation will continue to be managed by people whose interest is selfish and dedicated to the sect rather than the people of Trinidad & Tobago.
God Bless Our Nation.
Steve Alvarez