TT problems

THE EDITOR: Just recently our Government has been giving bags full of money away to Caribbean countries; Asian countries; and promising funds to various organisations across the country. The latest one is the car park at Queen’s Hall. On the same news programme we all saw the news story of the shocking state of the St Joseph Police station. Raw sewage running in the drains, rotting floors, dilapidated walls and paint work, leaking roofs, amongst a whole bunch of other things. No doubt there are many other Police stations in the same condition all over the country. How can anyone possibly expect the Police to provide the public with proper law enforcement and protection if this is the way that the Ministry of National Security and the Government treat our Police Force and I use the word Force on purpose, because that is what they should be.

Just recently Minister Valley was on TV saying that an operating plan for BWIA was now before the Finance Committee of Parliament and that the Government had been in control of the company for several years. Well I am indeed pleased to hear this because that makes them responsible for the airline’s problems, both financial and otherwise. The Civil Aviation Department of Government effectively through gross inefficiency caused the USA/CAA to downgrade our country to Category 2 which is the main cause of BWIA’s difficulties. This coupled with the introduction of several new routes which could never be financially viable ie Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic etc being the other cause.

The Caribbean needs BWIA so why can’t we put a team of airline business executives together to develop a five-year plan and implement it? One of the important issues to be dealt with immediately is the unions, all of them. There are so many projects that have gone wrong as a result of mismanagement. The Scarborough Hospital, the paving of the Runway at Piarco, the Terminal Building at Crown Point. When is the careless disregard for the taxpayer’s funds going to stop? This letter like several others will have no effect, it is like “xxx in the wind” or “xxx against thunder” unless the people of this country make something happen. Again “Evil prevails when good men do nothing.”

DAVID L MARTIN
Maraval