Pleading for Palmiste Park

TERRENCE HONORE

THE RECENT celebration of World Environment Day caused me to consider how much more attention should be given to the God-given green spaces in our communities. Palmiste Park is one such place. It is the only public park and green space of its size in the south of the country.

Located on the outskirts of San Fernando, Palmiste Park presents a relatively small but important carbon footprint for the area. The 40-acre estate holds a special place in the hearts of individuals who live in the surrounding areas and across the southland. Many use the park for recreation and religious activities. But there are condemnations to those who put on their parliamentary clothes and leave this special place neglected.

We must be careful that some people might perceive that the state of Palmiste Park reflects the way we govern our nation.

The park needs good governance. It is 16 years since there was an official committee to manage the affairs of the park. This has resulted in a woeful state of negligence, with no clear management structure and action plan. It amounts to a regrettable abandonment of the responsibility to preserve this aspect of our heritage.

We should be aware that Palmiste Park boasts a rich heritage. The area has a history of over 240 years. It began as a pasture for animals in 1782, as part of the Phillipine Estate operated by St Luce Phillip. He was the head of a coloured family that migrated from Grenada at the time of the Cedula of Population, which brought French-speaking planters to Trinidad. Many settled in the Naparimas with the very fertile soil. Over the years, the name of the area was changed from Phillipine Pasture to Palmiste Pasture, to Palmiste Park, but the potential remains the same.

Over the years, the park benefitted from the efforts of three former prime ministers from the South. Basdeo Panday, a nearby resident, approved the construction of a teak fence around the park, replacing the old sections of railway lines that were used as fence posts. Then there was the effort by Patrick Manning, who responded to a letter by a concerned teenager from the community to have the park cleared of overgrown brush. And the most recent effort was the creation of a nature walk during the tenure of Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who also lives a short distance from the park.

But despite the timely interventions by three prime ministers, and other notable efforts, the park remains in need of urgent attention. Many are still waiting to have Palmiste Park named as the second official botanic gardens in the country.

Meanwhile, a URP crew continues to maintain the grounds, the Forestry Division occasionally cuts and removes old trees, but much more is needed to take it to the next level to be a world-class tourist destination.

Interestingly, it was the PNM government, back in May 2006, that passed a parliamentary motion to appoint a management and development committee for the park. It was a step in the right direction but failed to gain momentum. Yet another team was named in 2011 by the UNC-led administration, but that effort also went into abeyance.

The poor treatment being meted out to the park is a situation that needs to be addressed. It’s a dereliction of duty, a reflection of a mindset that does violence to our environment, combined with a lack of preservation of our heritage. People don’t seem to care enough about protecting our national spaces. They drive all over the greens, steal trees and shrubs and leave litter everywhere.

So, there is a case to be made for attention to be given to make it a national park. But it’s the impact on our children that should really concern us. What they see and how they absorb the mediocrity in our society, evidenced by the blatant disregard for law, the encroaching of the park acreage by nearby residents and other regrettable actions. The park should reflect the pride of our people, the dignity of the south, but it remains neglected and unattended in many respects.

I often wonder how we seem to have no shame as a people when we visit other countries and view their beautiful parks, with landscaped grounds and gardens, then come back home to the negligence and intransigence of our efforts.

In recent years the park has received very little attention as a botanic destination for recreation, education, or tourism. The park was treated better by the colonials than us millennials. We took over and we are sounding bright but doing little to preserve and enhance our environment. The location demands a more respectful treatment befitting a location of such a rich heritage.

There is still hope for us to preserve Palmiste Park, but we must go past the diatribe and the political posturing and social media posing. We can and should commit ourselves to lifting the standard of our surroundings as a reflection of love for our beautiful country. We must stop mamaguying ourselves and start caring for Palmiste Park.

The relevant authorities can give some consideration to the following:

1. The assigning of park wardens to monitor usage and abuses.

2. The reappointment of a management and development committee to oversee the operations of the park, with responsibility for the proper scheduling of the use of the facility and development of the infrastructure.

3. Officially declare the Palmiste Park as the southern botanic gardens.

Meanwhile, community groups like the Palmiste Historical Society and others have been advocating for better governance and for the preservation of historic relics, to no avail. The few historic items that remain, like the heart-shaped pond and other artefacts, need to be protected and preserved. The creation of a tree museum (arboretum) and other efforts can benefit all concerned.

So, while the people of the area don’t rant and rave and misbehave, or burn tyres, they will continue to pray and plead for Palmiste Park – that this pristine place should be given the good governance it deserves.

Terrence Honore is the president of the Palmiste Historical Society