Kamla: Gap between rich and poor continues to widen

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called on the country to stand strong as the domestic and international battle continues against the covid19 pandemic.

In her Independence Day message, she said the virus has disrupted every aspect of life and called for change and adaptations to the “new normal.”

“We are now, each of us, called upon to adapt, to change the way we operate, to evolve in our thinking and our modes of operation.”

She added, TT’s history has shown it has a resilient population and that no task was too small or too grand to handle.

Persad-Bissessar noted, however, that while there were many achievements to be celebrated, many people continue to face adversities and are marginalised.

“Today we have thousands of our citizens from urban Scarborough to rural Barrackpore, who continue to struggle, to look on helplessly as opportunities are taken from them, as the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen.”

She questioned the value of the achievements compared to the challenges faced and blasted the government’s dismantling of the laptop initiative that was implemented between 2010 to 2015 by her People’s Partnership administration.

“What good are the hundreds of achievements putting our tiny nation on a global scale when we have children without equal access to education?

“It is indeed sad that a Government lacking in vision scrapped the laptop programme, which, in today’s environment, would have enabled thousands of children to participate fully in the transition to online learning.

“Likewise, a vision-less government scrapped so many initiatives designed to give citizens a hand up, choosing instead to push citizens down into poverty.”

Persad-Bissessar added that co-operation was necessary because the covid19 pandemic has ensured business unusual was now the new normal.

“We cannot hope to advance as a nation if we do not unite to address the many challenges confronting us. Without unity, survival at the very least and prosperity at the very most is never possible.

“Let us cast off the old tactics used by the colonists of dividing to rule once and for all. Let us learn from the mistakes of the past and not repeat them.”

She said the country has serious problems within the national physical infrastructure, and the fine cracks within our social structure must be addressed.