Celebration Time... (Two Years in, How Yuh Feel?)

The 'two years in office' mark has kicked off what promises to be a year of celebrations for the government, much to the delight of their supporters as they segue back and forth between their party achievements and the country's fiftieth anniversary of independence. During the same time, seven billion dollars is being spent on a highway we apparently do not need and nobody appears to want but the Minister is barreling forward anyway. Despite the protestations of National Security to the contrary, our police service remains untrusted, violent crime is on the rise, and rapes and murders are soaring to new heights everyday. Nine billion is being spent to cover the tracks of Monteil, Duprey, John and the rest of the CLICO 'grab and go' crew with no word on how we might recover the money 'appropriated' by them and others in the first place.

Umpteen hundreds of millions are being spent on legal fees to ask questions that will not change the system nor bring the guilty to justice, but we carry on anyway. No money has been allocated for a water policy to prevent flooding or to deal with any unforeseen drought, no food or agriculture policy has been enunciated despite the cries of a people literally dying under the weight of imported food prices. No sensible health policy but millions are being stolen by unscrupulous doctors through double and triple billing schemes or outright theft of hospital supplies. No government to date has had the foresight to make the three major hospitals into teaching institutions so as to transform our young people into skilled professionals, so instead we settle for our people dying in hallways waiting for a visit from a doctor. Instead of focusing on education millions are being  misappropriated by board members while the system is grinding out semi-literate fast food cashiers and security guards. Our younger generation, unarmed and unready to face the challenges of a world waiting to devour them are given no respite despite us having at least five Social Development Ministries in varying guises. Bank charges and policies appear designed to keep the masses in economic slavery, and, combined with a lack of a jobs or people development policies, the masses are kept ignorant, dependent and wanting.

No real anti-drug policy despite T&T being referred to in many quarters as a narco-state, and hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars are reportedly washing through our land, lubricated by the blood of our youth and the tears of their mothers. Our official Opposition and government in waiting, besmeared by allegations of massive corruption throughout their ranks and populated by some very questionable characters both frontline and behind the scene, offers no real political alternative to a disenchanted electorate who see them at best as a spent force. With a government coalition in quasi-meltdown struggling to hold itself together for appearances sake and be-dogged by the same questions of misbehavior in office I am forced to ask, what, if anything is there to celebrate?

Perhaps if this government was to keep the promises made while campaigning we could be excused for some celebrating. Recall legislation, referendum legislation, term limits, fixed election date, the promised three thousand dollar pension from the age of sixty, Local Government Reform as well as Campaign Finance Reform could well be cause for some partying.

Another good reason would be the removal of Austin Jack Warner from the nation's Cabinet until he is cleared of all of the local and international allegations and investigations into his conduct, and It might be fete worthy if the Point Fortin Highway were to be stopped altogether to allow for consultation with all stakeholders and that money redirected to more sensible and needed projects.

Legislation that guarantees equality, rights and access for all our disabled brothers and sisters, state support for ALL children's homes and a humane policy to deal with the growing issue of homelessness could well make a convert out of me so I could be there front and center with my party hat on, cup in hand an wining, but until then Madame Prime Minister, if we were to be completely honest, there is really nothing worth celebrating right now at all....