Christmas wish for competence

THE EDITOR: The contactocracy and the contractocracy are the twin engines driving the dysfunction in Greenvale Park, La Horquetta. Who you know determines if your garbage gets collected, and who you are affiliated with determines if your street gets cleared. It is a type of political promiscuity where the residents are courted for votes in April, only to be left high and dry, or rather high and flooded by December.

Living in Greenvale since 2014 has been a masterclass in this specific brand of neglect. We have witnessed two floods: one mild, and the catastrophic deluge of 2018. Yet, as we stare down the barrel of another rainy Christmas, the powers that be seem content to rely on luck rather than logic.

The retention pond, a critical piece of infrastructure, is currently overrun. You cannot see the water for the grass. The bridge isn’t cleaned, and broken branches choke the waterway. It begs the question: What are the authorities waiting for? Another 2018?

If the water rises, they will inevitably wring their hands and say it was "naturally done" due to the volume of rainfall. But the truth is it could have been prevented. This is the difference between a natural disaster and a man-made disaster fuelled by administrative lethargy. If MP Phillip Watts actually took the time to walk the ground now – not just for the photo-op he did earlier this year – maybe he would see the jungle that has overtaken the infrastructure.

But maintenance requires meritocracy, and that is in short supply.

Since the April election, garbage collection has become a ghost service. The ripple effect is visceral: stray dogs and cats tear up the bags, and the debris feeds a population of flies and cockroaches. Meanwhile, vector control is a myth.

Even worse is the blatant cronyism regarding bulk waste. While other communities enjoy these facilities three times a week, Greenvale residents living in an HDC community must beg their councillor. And even then the contactocracy decides the route. The trucks seem to only grace "certain streets of affiliation." Only God knows who the trucks are affiliated to, but it certainly isn’t the average resident.

We received a notice that the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation trucks will grace us with their presence for "one day only" in December. Is Greenvale a sovereign state? Are we not part of the same island? A one-day window is not a service, it’s a token.

And then there is the encroachment of the "big boys" from the Frederick Settlement Industrial Estate.

The roads in Greenvale are small. They were designed for residents, not for the S-Class monsters driven by the employees of the nearby conglomerates. These companies give their staff these massive vehicles, and where do they park? On our roadways.

This isn’t just a nuisance; it is an obstruction of justice for the elderly. I like to leave my car and take the bus, but the bus now refuses to pass because these inconsiderate neighbours and corporate overflow block the path. Is it legal to park industrial-sized egos and vehicles in a residential zone? Hmmm.

MP Watts needs to start the actual work of governance. We don't need a Christmas miracle; we need the system to work without us having to know someone to get it done.

Right now, we have a retention pond filled with grass that goes nowhere, and a political culture that rewards those closest to the throne, while the rest of us are left dangerously close to the commode.

JOEL M QUAMINA

via e-mail