Saving the economy from slide

THE EDITOR: A government official has said we have to quickly stem the tide of the free-falling slide the economy is facing. How can the Government stop the slide that is happening now? More additions to the negative list?

It is amazing that our leaders can assert that things in the economy are improving when we have had four years of deficits. Prices are out of control and there is no recognisable alternative revenue source to our dependency on the traditional petrodollars generated by the energy sector.

Perhaps that assertion of well-being is applicable to a very limited sector of the society considered more fortunate than the majority of the rest of us struggling to make ends meet day by day.

It is frightening when you see children and mothers shopping in a grocery and just milling around items they are unable to purchase – a rich country slowly becoming poor.

It brings me to the observation that our citizens have switched off, considering the situation hopeless and resulting in the adage of every man/woman for his/herself.

Mediocrity in the public service and a lack of customer service are standard and it appears no one with political affiliations or authority care. Who can we identify that is driven by performance and accountability.

Indefensible explanations with much old talk continues.

There are areas in the oilfields that need to be reactivated that are not presently being produced by Heritage.

These areas should be identified and prepared by Heritage to farm out to existing oil producers who have a good track record of drilling and increasing production.

As mentioned in my earlier letters, incentives need to be given to the oil sector to stimulate production. These incentives should be in the form of reduced royalties and the Supplemental Petroleum Tax.

GORDON LAUGHLIN

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