Our young people are spiralling downwards

THE EDITOR: Our young people continue the struggle to exist in a society characterised by many ironies and double standards. We have perfected the art of recognising them as the most important sector and the future of the society yet their development is continually placed on the back burner as a matter of second importance. How do we ever expect them to excel in the adverse environment that they have to grow up in? We are so quick to condemn their every stumble along the way while turning a blind eye when their efforts are worthy of recognition.

The 2003-2004 Budget presented by the Minister of Finance on Monday October 6, 2003 can only be described as a “bourgeoisie budget.” It is one that marginalises the poor and suffering in this country to the benefit of the diametrically opposed social grouping. The Minister of Finance made no mention of the Draft National Youth Policy of Trinidad and Tobago, a document he himself has endorsed as important to developing our young people. In spite of all the time and effort spent to finish this policy, no evidence was given to actualise this important instrument for youth development. Vision 2020 is supposed to be geared at developing our country by developing all of our people. The only problem is that this budget ignored a large section of the people.

With people already facing difficult living conditions, this budget is only going to make it more of a throe for their existence. We talk of empathising with the differently abled in our country yet make a mockery of their struggles; the impoverished who already find it hard to put food on their table will be feeling the wrath of increased gas prices, increasing a cost of living. What about input from the young people from Laventille in dealing with crime? Surely the new crime plan to create a new tactical crime squad did not come from their suggestions. The rest of the developing world is making progressive strides to improve conditions for the underclass, yet we seem to be moving backwards in this regard. The plans outlined in the budget are simply recreations of existing political propaganda void of any input from civil society. Why must we continue to contribute resources to fund failing developmental programmes that do not address fundamental issues in our society? Are our leaders lacking productive ideas to take our society forward?

In 1994, the then Government of the day signed on to the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States, yet nine years later, absolutely no effort has been made to fully integrate this plan of action into any national development plan. Is it that our leaders have made habits of making this country signatory to an important development convention yet no action to actualise this convention? Within this convention the declaration states that full attention should be given to gender equity and to the important role and contribution of women as well as to the needs of women and other major groups, including children, youth and indigenous people. In spite of this, young people in this country must be part of silly development ideas like CEPEP yet we talk about sustainable development? Do we even know what sustainable means? Everyday our young people spiral further downwards yet our leaders continue to behave in ludicrous ways seeking to mortify each other while we slip dangerously close to falling off the precipice.

We ask those leaders who are bent on creating civil disobedience in the society how is this intended to help the issues? All it is going do is further divide our country. It begs the consideration if this is their agenda. Why are we taking our country down similar roads as Guyana and Soweto? Do we even know what these consequences will be? Can we deal with them? When we do fall off are we going to try to save ourselves? We call upon all our political and other leaders in society to stop being ridiculous in their actions and put the nation’s needs and concerns as a primary issue. The Trinidad Youth Council makes a stern call on the Prime Minister to genuinely recognise the importance of our National Youth Policy and work with our young people in making this policy a progressive development plan for the young people. While our leaders love to say our young people are the future, they have all failed at making this a true reality. Surely if this is what we see from our leaders as development, then Vision 2020 must be blind. We ask them to get serious or then the young people will have to get serious.

TRINIDAD YOUTH COUNCIL
Ernesto Kesar, President
Nishard Mohammed, 1st VP
Ato Augustine 2nd VP
Trevene Layne, Executive Secretary