Really, Minister Young?

THE EDITOR: Minister Young informed stakeholders last week of the new travel requirement for Trinidad and Tobago citizens looking to enter or leave the country during the covid lockdown.

The new application process is said to be similar to filing for a visa. Really, Mr Minister? Citizens must now file a visa-type application to enter or leave their own country?

Last July, this minister went on television and stated that people who wanted to leave Trinidad or Tobago do not need an exemption.

However, the Ministry of National Security continued to give out exemption letters.

Interestingly, no one asked for this document when leaving the country. Obviously, minister and ministry did not know what the other was doing. This minister’s policy, like the administration he is part of, is to blame others for their own incompetence.

He complained that in the present process, people were clogging up the system by applying multiple times – 20-plus, as he mentioned in his press conference last week.

This minister failed to acknowledge the incompetence of his ministry’s response to exemption requests. This is why people have been applying multiple times.

This lockdown was to keep local covid19 cases low. We all know this action has been a total failure as cases and deaths have risen over time since the borders were closed. Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have to apply to enter or leave their country as if they are refugees.

Thank you for this state of affairs, Mr Minister.

JOHN S GASKIN

Via e-mail