Is the search for the mythical El Dorado still with us? The first Spanish Governor Don Antonio de Berrio was selected and charged by the Spanish Crown to find the mythical El Dorado where it was rumored that the houses and the streets were all gold.
It appears that the people of St Joseph, eager to find quick wealth, did not focus on development and its status as the capital city went to Port of Spain. In more recent years even Curepe has gone on to over take St Joseph in terms of commercial activities.
Today’s generation may find it difficult to comprehend El Dorado but they can definitely grasp the lotto, playwhe and the roulette machine games that have risen in recreational value.
This quick rich mentality had not worked for Don Antonio Berrio, his English rival Sir Walter Raleigh and the scores of planters and their subordinate staff.
Enslaving the Amerindians and decimating their numbers were not enough. The next victims were the African slaves and then the indentured laborers-whites, Chinese, Portuguese, Syrians and Indians among others.
We are yet to overcome the immigrant mentality, that is, to work because we are desperate. Immigrants work hard because they are new to the country and have no families or friends to support them. However, as soon as these immigrants learn their way around, the dependency mentality soon filters into their psyche.
Even the ambitious don’t seem to have a long term vision. They want to get rich as quickly as possible and so would grasp at any and all available opportunities to earn a dollar.
So many of our farmers have ignored the demise of so many industries. Instead of protesting government policies to ensure the continuity and growth of these industries, we simply grasp at the next available bait thrown to us. We sit idly and saw the destruction of cocoa, coconut, dairy, lumber, rice and sugar industries without batting an eyelid.
Much threats have been made against the poultry farming but this industry continues to survive only because of integrated ownership. Nutrimix has been able to manufacture its own grains abs market its chicken and so not at the mercy of the government. More so, there are other private stakeholders who operate independent of government. However, in the case of the sugar industry it was owned by the government and failed to develop independently. Even the cane farmers were at the mercy of Caroni Limited for purchasing their cane.
But we cannot deny the role of mercenaries like Don Antonio Berrio and Sir Walter Raleigh. Assassins of their respective governments, they were ruthless in implementing policies that brought big returns to them at the expense of the people.
We must beware of this quick fix culture and venture into a world of painstaking work and development, that is, to be in it for the long haul. Unless that is our agenda, we shall be definitely masquerading the follies of so many get rich overnight pirates.
We need to focus on slow and steady growth if we have to build this society. If not, we will find ourselves staking out in casinos bending over roulettes and hoping our lucky numbers play.
