We need a reset now

THE EDITOR: It has been a while since I walked through our capital city. As I walked through Woodford Square, I felt depths of despair that I had not felt for a while. There were the thousands of gallons of fresh water flowing down the drains of Abercromby Street from a Port of Spain aquifer that runs underground from the Queen's Park Savannah to the sea. We pumped water from that source to the drain for years during the construction of the Unit Trust headquarters. A wasted source of water, while we have water restrictions and pay millions for desalinated water.

The lawn at Woodford Square was unkept, cut in areas with a brush cutter. The open spaces and sidewalk were dotted with vendors selling a variety of stuff, no structured market spaces for them. There were abandoned buildings on Frederick and Abercromby Streets. And then there were the vagrants and faeces on the street. This is our capital city.

Our city is a sad reflection of our country: roads filled with potholes, damaged and leaking water mains, unkept hedges and shrubs, and garbage in mounds in areas with signs saying no dumping. Add to that illegal squatting, poor drainage and the free roaming of criminals who have moved from home invasions to killing and robbing in public places like malls and parking lots.

I then reflected on the politicians who joined me to walk in support of Wendell Eversley’s march to the Red House. So many of those who dared to come out were over 50 years of age, many having already served but willing to do whatever they can to save their country.

For TT to stop the decline and join the rest of the developing world, our young, educated and talented people must come forward and play their part. A good example of how politics can change and excite people can be seen with Kamala Harris’s replacement of an ageing Joe Biden in US politics.

We need a reset in TT – our economy, our infrastructure, our management practices, our crime prevention measures, our food security, our preparedness for natural disasters, all need a reset and new energy. That must come from the younger population.

Unfortunately, we have already lost a large sector of that population to emigration. Those who can afford to remain must come forward now. Get involved and reshape the future of TT. Let hope replace the despair that prevails.

STEVE ALVAREZ

via e-mail