Scrap iron association head says people must change ways to be strong against government

Scrap Iron Dealers Association president Allan Ferguson at a rally against the ban on scrap iron exports, Brian Lara Stadium, San Fernando in August. - File photo/Marvin Hamilton
Scrap Iron Dealers Association president Allan Ferguson at a rally against the ban on scrap iron exports, Brian Lara Stadium, San Fernando in August. - File photo/Marvin Hamilton

Allan Ferguson, president of the TT Scrap Iron Dealers Association, says the people of TT can be their own worst enemy so they can not just blame the government for all that was wrong in the country.

“We all in Trinidad need to make some change (sic) because the change we need to make is not just to make a change in politics alone. We need to change our ways too. We need to change what we doing!”

He said the system was set up in a way to encourage people to hate one another, to destroy trade unions and any other organisations that tried to improve the country. He believed if people made changes and supported one another, the government could not take advantage of the poor.

“Because every time we have to make changes, is because they (the government) taking from the poor. They not taking from the rich.”

Speaking at a meeting hosted by the association in Mayaro on Friday night, he said all the riches of the country did not belong to any political party. It belonged to everyone and was supposed to be shared with everyone. He also urged people to think, listen to other opinions, to support each other’s positive actions, make a stand against “wrongdoing,” and not to remain silent because they wanted to keep their “CPEP and URP” jobs.

“I’m here to tell you, let we as a community, let us as brother and sister, make a change and be one another keeper so when we make these change the government would understand we together. So when we have some kinda thing coming out (protests) we will come and support one another.”

Encouraging people to take action against “wrongdoing” and “evilness” he mentioned that, in the 2023 budget, pensioners – some who could not afford groceries, rent or medication – would have to pay more for travel to Tobago.

He also referred to Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s statement in 2016 when he increased the price of gas three times and said “they (the people) have not riot yet.”

“Here what a man say. He say, ‘I raise (the price of) gas today, I raise it tomorrow. And you know what they do? They ain’t do nothing! They only talking.’ And when you call them (the population) out, they don’t want to come out. Brothers and sisters it’s all ah we feeling it.”

Although he said he had nothing to do with it personally, Ferguson apologised to the people of Mayaro for thieves stealing the cables in their homes. He said he told people to stop stealing copper or else the government would take action.

He encouraged the government to ban copper export. But he said the government did not want to listen to him because he did not attend a prestige school like the politicians, and because he was from “the ghetto” and worked with the people there.

Scrap Iron Dealers Association president Allan Ferguson. - File photo/Sureash Cholai

Instead, the government banned the industry and people were demonising scrap iron dealers on social media. He reiterated that he was not a thief and there were many honest people in the industry so it was not right to shut down the whole industry because of a few bad people.

To those who agreed with the government, he said they did not care about people who could not now pay their bills and were struggling because of the action.

“Mind yourself that it ain’t reach yuh. And by the time it reach you it won’t have nobody to help you. Nobody! If we continue how we doing it by killing one another, and allowing the government of the day to do what they want to us, and you not supporting because it ain’t happening to you, because you ain’t feeling the pinch...”

However, he admitted some dealers also had to change the way they did business, namely stop stealing or buying stolen goods, and said some were already making the effort to do so.

In addition, he blamed men for any mistreatment of children by women. He said men were making children but then refused to take care of them, causing the women frustration which they took out on the children. He encouraged communities to treat women well because if they did, the women would do all they could to care for those she loved.

He also urged women to stop bad-taking one another, and for people to support men when they were successful in business rather than trying to berate them. And for people to stay away from illegal guns and crime, to stop domestic abuse and killing one another.

“We want the government to change but we need to change what’s in our heart.”

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