Democratic Party: 2020 year of challenges, opportunities

POLITICAL leader of the Democratic Party (DPTT) Steve Alvarez is predicting 2020 will be a challenging year for TT, but full of opportunities to change the way things are if citizens work together.

In a New Year’s message Alvarez said with the murder toll registering over 500 for 2019, few arrests and charges laid, security will remain a major challenge in 2020.

“As one looks forward to prosperity and growth, efficient water distribution, quality health care, traffic congestion, access to efficient public service and maintenance of infrastructure, remains among the many challenges that we face.

“The good news is that we have the people, the talent and the resources to fix things. Our biggest obstacle is ourselves. Our obstinate obsession with divisive voting patterns has prevented us from uniting in the best interest of TT.”

While Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte has indicated the country will be facing a harsh dry season as reservoirs are below the required levels, Alvarez believes there is more than enough water for all.

He blamed poor and expensive distribution system coupled with an inefficient maintenance and repair structure for the water woes.

“We can fix that easily through restructuring the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). By breaking up WASA into supply only and allowing communities to look after their distribution and repair we can solve our water problems in a matter of months,” he suggested.

Pointing out a healthy economy is necessary for growth and development, Alvarez urged citizens to wean off the diet of dependence on government and instead adopt a culture of work and production.

In so doing, “we can empower even the poorest among us to be adequately enriched.”

He also suggested instead of the CEPEP and URP structures which are thought to be breeding grounds for party sects and criminal gangs, they can be community grants towards infrastructure development and maintenance.

“This can allow for communities to employ citizens within their boundaries and end the culture of sects depending on their party in power for menial employment.

“Road repairs, landscaping, signage maintenance, water distribution and repairs, beach and park maintenance, maintenance of public buildings and of tourist attractions, hiking trails, rivers and waterfalls can provide more than adequate employment for all.

“This and much more is not only possible but necessary if we are to move away from the decadence and poor management imposed on our nation by two political parties who strive on our racial difference for their survival.”

Alvarez sees potential for the country to excel in the production agricultural products such as coconuts, cocoa, coffee, avocados, pineapples, peppers and moringa.

For the country’s swamps, caves, mountains, reefs, waterfalls and tropical rain forests to be marketed along with the festivals of Carnival, Divali and the Tobago Heritage festival to make TT a premier tourist destination.

“Through local government reform we can restructure our communities into areas of growth and end the era of gang boundaries imposed on our villages by gangs. Together we can work with our police, courts and government to end the era of crime and violence,” he said.