Heavy lifting ahead for the TT economy

THE EDITOR: Shutting down the economy in response to the covid19 pandemic may have been a tough choice, but perhaps much less challenging than reopening it. After all, you already have had the incidence of low productivity by world standards, so non-production accompanied with little or no loss of remuneration to workers would prove to be much more palatable to society. Reopening the economy, however, would prove to be a much more strenuous challenge than shutting it down.

Normally I would prefer that governments do not inject themselves into an economy, but any systemic adverse macro-economic national disaster would necessitate the intervention of a national government in order to grease the screeching financial wheels of commerce.

After all, growing the State’s balance sheet is not quite problematic for a government vis-a-vis a private business enterprise. In fact, a government could deficit-spend for long periods of time, especially in the midst of catastrophic events – like now. Thus, if governments were commercially dispensable under normal times, this is not a normal time.

After taking the bold step of shutting down major commercial activities in the economy, the TT Government has demonstrated that it is no neutral partner in the midst of a pandemic and that it has chosen the more financially risky option of shutting down the major avenues of commerce.

Whether the Government has done what any reasonable government would have done will be a subject for debate in the future, but for now a decision was foisted on the population to elect a group of individuals to chart a way forward in the midst of the riskiest of circumstances today. Therefore, as the population is being called upon to change or retain the incumbent, the elected’s main portfolio going forward would be to bail out the economy from the continuing covid19 doldrums.

One question confronting the voter may very well be: assuming a citizen has the last dollar to sustain one’s livelihood, which political party will they trust to not only protect that dollar but to grow it? Another question to consider is: given the gargantuan challenge that lies ahead for fully restarting the economy, schools, civil society, etc, who would seem best poised to do the required heavy lifting over the next months and years?

No disrespect to the many patriotic groups and individuals offering themselves for this unenviable job, but the choice is essentially between the two major political parties. Thus, a final question would be: of the two major parties, which of them is best poised to honestly do the required heavy lifting going forward?

In closing I am reminded of the couple of decades’ old adage, “performance beats ole’ talk anytime.” Yes, I understand voters have their biases and preferences, but if the talk shows on TV and radio are any indicator of how citizens are thinking, they are not prepared to be taken for a ride again.

Talk is cheap, voters are reckoning, but value will always lie in accomplishments. In this regard both political parties have track records, so choose as though your children depend on your best intelligence to do the right thing.

ASHFORD MAHARAJ

via e-mail