Needs and not wants

This he assumes will put an end to the present aggravating traffic congestion in the country. Just imagine, that this same Government, in 1964 scrapped and disbanded the Trinidad Government Railway, a system that was properly laid down by the British, and, as the old proverbial saying goes, the criminal returns to the scene of the crime. Up to this day, not one train line can be accounted for.

Now, let us travel in time to the year 2020, the expected time of completion(sic) of the Monorail. The population would have doubled, vehicles would have tripled, buildings would occupy every foot of available land, the EMR, the PBR, the highways would be constant, where will the terminal be cited, how many carriages will be allocated to one trip etc. Who fooling who?

In the event of a disaster, how many people will this monorail evacuate?

Nature has demonstrated to us how a river pattern works, but in TT we have all three of our major arteries ending in Beetham.

Pussyfooting with the Curepe overpass will only increase the agony. A short term (two years) solution is to build this overpass now, and free up the bus route, as we have the right to freedom of movement. Government is breaking the law by infringing on our rights. Just imagine, a person is charged for using the PBR, and makes a test case based on the grounds of "Freedom of movement."

The long term solution is decentralisation. Government is now duty bound to elevate the status of Arima, Chaguanas, Princes Town, Pt Fortin to one of complete autonomy. Provisions should be made to allow all business, commercial activities and government transactions to be completed at these points.

This would eliminate about 60 percent of the people going into Port-of-Spain. Fully automated and computerised administration buildings should be the goal in each area.

The Cabinet of TT must fully understand that money was not invented to be spent, it is to be used, and used for things that we need and not for what we want.

We do not need a Tarouba sporting complex, neither a pie in the sky Monorail. We need an overpass, cheaper food, more housing, better health services, educational facilities, more employment, a regular water supply, less crime, etc.

At present, we do not need a Water Front complex, as the FTAA is dead.

The Government has found itself in an extremely fragile position, and it needs to quickly get its priorities right. Headline news on Newsday (12-08-05) states, "Martin Joseph: Bomb suspect Held." Police Sources: We know nothing about that. How frightening!

DOODNATH MAHARAJ

Arima