Love changes everything

THE EDITOR: I have had enough of the “yuh wasting yuh time, dis is PNM and UNC country.” TT is not a nation so deep in hatred for each other that race continues to be a major factor in how we vote.

Almost every right-thinking citizen knows that the cost of the most luxurious home complete with swimming pool and over one acre of land does not exceed $20 million. Compare that to a government renovation or construction of a small building and the price suddenly runs into tens of millions.

The era of including into the price of government contracts money for the politician, the engineer, the facilitator, the gangster in the community and millions for the contractor to purchase luxury items must end.

Too many poor people continue to struggle for the basics while the privileged and those with contacts live above the law and way above the living standards of the ordinary man.

The power to change the way things are lies with “we the people.” We have the opportunity in 2020 to end an era of wastage, corruption, race baiting, exploitation of the poor and disrespect for our citizens.

We are a strong people. Moreover, we are a loving people. United we will remove every bandit and criminal from our communities. We will through the reduction of corruption utilise that money to increase the salaries of our public servants and low-income workers so that every citizen would be able to afford a home.

Through investment in sports, tourism, new infrastructure projects like roads, water retention facilities, drainage catchment areas and new channels we would stimulate our economy and create new jobs for our youths that are graduating from our colleges. No longer will there be the need to immigrate to find well paying jobs.

Together we will decorate our communities and highways with beautiful flowers and plants as we clean up our environment. Through appropriate agricultural incentives we will produce healthy food crops in quantities and quality that allow for exportation.

All of this is possible because we know that a small light can dispel a room of darkness.

Let each of us be that unit of light, of love. Let our love shine throughout the land. Let our love conquer the hate, the racism, the empty promises. Let our love unite us as one people working together to keep TT a beautiful place for our children. Let our love allow our children to experience safe days at the beaches, river limes, Carnival, lighting deyas, cricket at the Oval and football at the stadium.

“Love, love changes everything/ Days are longer, words mean more/ Love, love changes everything/ Pain is deeper than before/ Love will turn your world around/ And that world will last forever/ Yes love, love changes everything/ Brings you glory, brings you shame/ Nothing in the world will ever be the same (Charles Hart and Don Black, Andrew Lloyd Webber (1989)).

Let us together confront the challenge posed by the PNM and UNC. When they sow hate, let’s sow love. When they speak of corruption, let’s speak of investment in the poor and needy. When they speak of only two parties, let us speak of one united country. When they speak of winning the next election, let us say in the strongest of terms no more, not again.

Let us reign in an era of love, prosperity, peace and goodwill. Let our true colours shine forth, gloriously embracing the red, white and black.

STEVE ALVAREZ

political leader, DPTT