TT tourism promotion laughing stock in Canada

THE EDITOR: I have been living in Canada for over ten years now and I follow the daily happenings in Trinidad and Tobago via the Internet.

I am so amused by the writings and speeches of Dr Selwyn Cudjoe that I would like him to address the following ethnic imbalances that exist today in the five Trinidad and Tobago government offices here in Canada. There are 15 members of the diplomatic staff in the consulate office in Toronto, the High Commission in Ottawa and the Labour Office in Mississauga. Would you believe there isn’t one who is of East Indian background? Perhaps the Ministry, if it is the desire to have only Afro-Trinis here, should select persons who have a bit of “class”. Some of those who are here are so rude that it is no wonder our nationals feel alienated and keep away from these offices.

The head of BWIA in Canada, the airport manager of BWIA and the vice president of BWIA in Canada are all Guyanese non-Indians. This, after the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has just injected millions into a company that is not run by any of its nationals. I wonder if Air Jamaica or Guyana Airways will ever have such a situation. No wonder that all the charters are filled to capacity on their weekly trips to the Caribbean, but not BeeWee. Try finding the Tourist Board here in Canada and you’ll be in for a big surprise. Imagine, all the Caribbean islands have their Tourist Board Offices well advertised and easily accessible; ours is “operated” by one RMR Group Inc, which is owned by one Andy Parris, a 75-year-old Trinidadian who is about to retire but has passed on the “ownership” to his nephew. So you will never find anything about tourism or trade in the directories in Canada if you don’t know to look for the RMR Group. We are the laughing stock of the Caribbean when it comes to the promotion of tourism here in Canada. Perhaps, Dr Cudjoe can try to explain these blatant racial practices of the Government he openly supports.

GEORGE MAHARAJ
Pickering, Ontario