What freedoms, Joseph?

THE EDITOR: It is certainly refreshing to get a response to one of my letters (Lynette Joseph, "Absolutely amusing to compare TT to Qatar," Newsday, December 16), which goes to show that people are reading and beginning to digest how things are in sweet TT. And also how things can be changed for the better.

At the same time, we must not bury our heads in the proverbial sand and pretend that all is well only because we have certain allegiances to certain people or certain parties of people.

My comparison with Qatar (Newsday, December 9) was not on the grounds of wealth or GDP because the GDP of Qatar certainly outweighs TT's by leaps and bounds. However, mention must be made of the fact that both countries' economies are energy-based or they derive their wealth from oil and gas.

But with the same humble beginnings, how come one country has managed its resources and executed its plans to such pinpoint accuracy, with little or no corruption, that it is considered to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world today?

Joseph, can you answer that?

Qatar started off as a small poor country with no arable lands, poor weather conditions and a nomadic people, only diving for pearls along the coasts and when oil and gas was discovered it was carefully managed to develop an industry that made it into one of the best countries in the world today.

TT had a better start, in that the colonial masters (and Joseph might find discord with them too) gave us a jump start and put things in place for us, such as roads, railroad, trains, schools, police stations, court houses, other government buildings, and even estates and plantations. What have we done with all that? But that is a matter for another discussion.

Joseph speaks about Shariah law as if it is some kind of snake with venom. But does she understand Shariah law? It is the same type of law which has been passed down through the ages from the Ten Commandments of Musa (Moses) to Isa (Jesus) and now to us, which tell us not to kill, rape, covet, steal and plunder, except for one difference.

The law is not considered to be a joke. If one commits a crime he/she can expect that the punishment as set down in the law will be carried out after fair trial. So if it says one of your hands will be cut off for stealing, expect that it will be so.

Foolishly, however, some people think there will be dozens of people walking around with one hand. It is not so. After one of two were meted out the sentence there was no more stealing. This is why there is no crime in Qatar. Is GDP needed for this?

One can leave his car parked out in the street with the engine running and no one will take off with it. Isn't that the kind of comfort and security we all want in our society?

Joseph speaks about freedoms. The Qatar people are free to move around as they please. According to Google, "Life in Qatar is one based around comfort and convenience. It is one of the safest countries to live in the world and has the highest-ranked healthcare system which every resident can utilise."

If we strive for First World status, isn't this something we should work towards?

So what are our freedoms in sweet TT? Is Joseph talking about freedom to run off the road trying to avoid large potholes? Freedom to fall off a huge landslip and die? Freedom to be robbed and raped at gunpoint? Or freedom to be shot via drive-by shooting or home invasion in the middle of the night?

How can anyone tell any of the families of the 500-plus victims so far this year that this is all for freedom? How can we tell this to the families of the mother and child in Moruga killed by a gunman or the family of Mark Pereira (art gallery owner) gunned down in the sanctity of his home?

We have to get a grip on reality and call a spade a spade. We must not allow blind allegiance and cover-ups to rule the day. If TT wants to get out of this mire we need level-headed, serious and committed leaders to change things around.

We have missed the boat once but we must not miss the lifeline that is being thrown our way or we will not only be headless but bodiless, like the head found along the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway.

WKS HOSEIN

Chaguanas