Shameful and sad

THE EDITOR: After spending over $100 million on the Maracas Bay development, the nails are rusting in swollen plywood that are part of the new ceiling at the vending booths. Another example of the wastage of taxpayers’ dollars.

Simple things like using material suited for the seaside environment were ignored. This kind of irresponsible action and wastage is commonplace but unsustainable.

What is perhaps more shameful and sadder is that the people responsible for the economic decline in TT are now soliciting the population’s vote for another term to continue the irresponsible management of our nation’s finances.

The two major political parties see themselves as the only alternative available and are hoping that the rest of the nation agrees with them. It may be pertinent to examine who are the people seeking to manage TT over the next five years.

There is one party where the leader remains as leader by simply forming alliances with community and religious leaders. That leader has dismissed the policymakers and strategic thinkers that once formed part of the party management.

With no sound economic policy and vision for governance, that party’s voice comprises individuals that use social media and the radio to unleash some of the most inappropriate language and ridicule of the Government.

Individuals whose history is one of allegations of misconduct in public office and others that were dismissed from government are now part of the frontline of that party’s political campaign.

Another party hopes energy companies discover gas and oil so it can eventually find money to pay the nation’s debt and continue the dependence on foreign food and goods.

In the meantime, without a clear strategic plan for the economy and a restructure of governance policy, it continues to impose punitive measures on citizens to pay for their continued wastage and ineptitude.

Then there are the individuals who seem to like the attention given to them as political organisations. There is one on a criminal charge whose language is void of pragmatic thought, another with a history of corrupt practices who continues to disparage the Government with language that borders on the obscene. Others with personal agendas hope to be included in some alliance with one of the major parties to share in the continued abuse of the nation’s resources.

Thankfully, there is a viable alternative. Not a small party as some would like the population to believe but a big party, perhaps the biggest of all parties. A party with a vision for taking TT forward. A party with leaders of integrity, vision and a commitment to improving the lives of every citizen of TT.

This party comprises people of many varied races, it comprises people from every sector of our society and it covers every village, every home and sector within our nation. Its vision is to transform our economy through minimising the bureaucracy and incompetence that discourage business, by investing in infrastructure, by transforming the tourism sector and restructuring agriculture.

That party will empower the people through local government reform that empowers communities to manage the basics that affect their daily life. Items like water distribution, sanitary services, accessing government services and employment. That party is all of us rescuing our nation under the umbrella of the Democratic Party of TT.

Our first and biggest task is to find the 41 people willing to offer themselves as representatives of hope. Are you one?

STEVE ALVAREZ

political leader, DPTT