Dear Editor,
I have been accused of being negative and have been advised to focus on the positive things around us. The fact is there are a lot of positive to look at and those positives are what has us surviving today.
I salute the hard-working policemen and women who despite being aware of others involved in criminal activity and corruption, put on their uniform with pride, they speak to people politely, they reach out to members of their community with love and give of their best daily. These people have our police service alive today and saves our country from total lawlessness.
I am proud of the many teachers who still go the extra mile to reach out to the slow students, giving them advice and extra attention to ensure they are not left behind. One such teacher saved my life from a delinquent student to one of the top students in my class.
The public servants who do everything they can to get citizens pass the burdensome bureaucracy of accessing government services must be praised.
They are the ones who help the public fill out their forms, who speak to others with kindness and who never miss work unless they have no other choice. The people of Trinidad & Tobago thanks you.
The doubles vendors who get up each day while most of the Nation is sleeping to ensure that we can access a cheap meal, the car wash outlets where young people choose an alternative to handouts and a life of crime, the street vendors, the fruits salesmen and the many hard working agricultural workers that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, we the people thank you.
Our sports men are worthy of our praise, the netballers who practice on poor courts without nets and proper balls, our cricket teams that are now without the nursery of good players from Primary and secondary schools due to lack of funding, grounds and equipment and the other sports personnel that make us proud despite struggling for the basic tools of their discipline are our national heroes.
Then there are the ordinary citizens who go to work daily, many passing through streets where criminals lurk behind walls and in alley ways. The mothers and fathers who try daily to feed their families in an environment of despair.
The store workers, the CEPEP and URP workers, the construction workers, the garbage collectors, and the social workers, all keep our Country alive.
Our biggest positive is our people, they are the ones who you meet at the beaches with a smile, who still party with passion and who drown their sorrows in moments of feting, river limes, hikes, family gatherings and at places of worship. The people of Trinidad & Tobago have not changed much despite the challenges they face.
It is our politicians and our leaders who have selfishly led us to despair.
It is the people who will rescue us.
God Bless Our Nation.
Steve Alvarez