Harnessing our national treasures

Yet, although we are surrounded by the sublime, we somehow manage to reduce it to squalor. A lack of a sense of pride might be the reason for this. Quite noticeable too, is the way we undervalue our capacity to rank among the best in the world. Although success has been proven time and again, in a range of disciplines - sport, the arts, science and technology, medicine and literature – we remain sceptical.

Trinidad and Tobago will celebrate 55 years of Independence, next week. Apart from Dr Eric Williams, our founding fathers include other esteemed individuals such as Sir Ellis Clarke, Lionel Seukeran and Rudranath Capildeo. Their endeavour in negotiating the terms of our Independence Concordat at Marlborough House, stands as a testimony to their patriotism and foresight.

The landmark year was 1962, and a new nation was being birthed. We embraced our national flag, with each colour symbolising our rich potential. We welcomed our watch words, Discipline, Production and Tolerance and our Coat of Arms was emblazoned with our national birds, the Cocrico and the Scarlet Ibis.

Today in 2017, the Ibis is under threat by a small group of poachers who hunt the bird as a delicacy. In some instances, it is said to be much sought-after fare at upscale social gatherings. Recent reports signal that although the populations are relatively stable, the status of the ibis can change to ‘endangered’ if no action is taken to deter, fi ne or punish illegal hunters. Sadly, the Caroni Swamp appears to be anything but a sanctuary for our national bird! Shades of a similar negligent attitude were reflected in a local event group’s flagrant disregard for the environment, when their beach bonfire in Blanchisseuse ended in the destruction of approximately 100 turtle hatchlings. In no way does this destructive or wilfully ignorant mindset augur well for progress as a nation.

Trinidad and Tobago has been batt ling the fallout of severely decreasing revenue from our traditional foreign exchange earners in the oil and gas sector. There is broad consensus that new ways of restructuring our economy to achieve future sustainability, must be pursued.

Economic transformation and diversification have now become a necessity, and it would serve us well to stop paying mere lip service to the endeavour, that is, if we are to preserve a decent quality of life for generations to come.

While we have commercialised some of our local heritage sites and attractions, we have merely scratched the surface with respect to exploit ng our natural treasures to derive new revenue streams. Given the examples cited earlier, about our scarlet ibis and leatherback turtle, our attitudes and mindsets indicate that there is much work to be done before we make that much needed shift .

While complacency abounds in far too many quarters, our cocoa beans are being rated as world class; our athletes are doing wonders for our international profile; and visitors are coming from all over the globe to experience the sunset roosting ritual of the scarlet ibis at the Caroni Bird Sanctuary.

And there is much more. A fundamental question remains, however: what more would it take for us to harness the value of all that is uniquely ours, in a way that secures and guarantees our sustainability well into the future?