Do tourists deserve better than locals?

THE EDITOR: On Wednesday July 6, 2003, Newsday carried a news report and a “Public Notice” which appeared to have no connection. However the two items are closely connected, by the contempt they express albeit unknowingly, for us, the people. The news reoprt, on page 4 carried the headline “Zero Tolerance for Crimes Against Tourists.” Judges of the Appeal Court denied leniency to a man who stole money for a British tourist’s room in a Tobago Guest House. Implicit in the Judges’ statement was the suggestion that stealing from a tourist is deserving of a heavier penalty than stealing from a local. The “Public Notice,”  published on page 18 by TIDCO (of all people!) advised that “repairs at Maracas beach are in the works,” during the month of August 2003, and they (TIDCO) agologise for the inconvenience.

Is August not the month of greatest beach usage by Trinidadians, resident here and studying abroad? Does TIDCO not know this? Why not schedule beach facility upgrades in June, so facilities will be at their best for August, when more people use them, weekdays and weekends? Incidentally it’s locals who pay for the upgrades, so why not let locals enjoy the benfits, instead of having to climb through a construction site to bathe. And how will this affect the vendors who look forward to increased sales during the August school holidays? Now I don’t think that our Appeal Court Judges or TIDCO would state that locals are less deserving than tourists. However, they appear to signal that tourists deserve better protection and facilities than locals and this comes through clearly in their statements and actions.
2020 is a million years away!

PETER O’CONNOR
Cascade