Ministry breaches its social contract

THE EDITOR: The social contract is a philosophy that individuals forfeit some of their rights to the State. The State now has the duty to provide for the citizens. The citizens pay taxes to fund these services that the citizens themselves depend on.

Services such as security, public utilities, infrastructure developments and so on are all expected to be taken up by the State. After all, we pay taxes for this, meaning we the taxpayers fund these services.

What good is it when we pay these taxes and nothing is done on the part of the State? The State now has breached the social contract. Whenever a contract is breached, the person or entity breaching it is held accountable. What is the difference when the State breaches an agreement?

The Ministry of Works and Transport, under Minister Rohan Sinanan, has continued to display this neglect of the citizens. The Oropouche Main Road in south Trinidad has been neglected by the ministry since 2015. So why are we paying taxes?

We see on a daily basis where motorists have damaged their vehicles because of these poor road conditions. Busted tyres, damaged suspensions, busted shocks and even bumpers from going down into open craters on the roadway.

Thankfully, the Member of Parliament for Fyzabad, Dr Lackram Bodoe was able to scrounge up some donations to do the job that the minister is paid by taxpayers to do.

It wasn’t much; however, it still rectified the problem of having massive open potholes in the roadway that can cause major damage to vehicles or even fatal car crashes from motorists swerving to avoid them.

So what is the purpose of the Ministry of Works if the average man who depends on a smooth road to drive on cannot even get that?

KATHERINE SINGH, Fyzabad

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"Ministry breaches its social contract"

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