Vision 2020 needs revision

THE EDITOR: When, by chance, I found the Vision 2020 (V2020) document on the government’s website (www.gov.tt), I fully expected to read the planners’ vision of TT as a developed country, their assessment of our present status, and their action plan for closing the gap. This was not to be.

Although there are bold statements, the actualisation is unclear. V2020 was so disappointing, that for one anxious moment I thought that a demented hacker had sought to discredit our government by placing this absurdity on the gov.tt website. The much-touted V2020 turned out to be just another political manifesto; such as we have grown accustomed to, devoid of a true philosophy that expressed the beliefs and aspirations of our people. However, the most critical oversight to me was the absence of strategies to transform the provincial attitudes of large sections of the population into values that are consistent with developed nation status.

Human development must enhance the ability of the people to make choices, unhampered by superstition, prejudices, and inhibitions. I searched in vain for proposals to reduce precipitant decision making with a culture of research. Nothing was said about transforming our passive acceptance of mediocrity, exploitation, and even corruption, into a culture of skepticism and critical evaluation of whatever confronts us. I longed to see something about removing kinship and patronage as criteria for advancement, and replacing these with a focus on meritocracy.

I saw no real plan to remove our people from servile dependency on government, to make them self-reliant and empowered, willing to take responsibility for their own destinies. No clear strategy was mentioned to arrest our people’s enchantment with foreign heroes, lifestyles, and brand names, and to inculcate national identity and help us recognise and appreciate our own capabilities. There was no clear plan to cure us of our preoccupation with short-term goals, and to develop a positive disposition towards long-term planning. Most of all, very little was said about developing values of consideration, responsibility, justice, compassion, caring, honesty, cooperation, and respect for human dignity. Development without these values would entrench us into situations of even more robberies, kidnappings, and violence.

Instead, V2020 placed emphasis on the expansion and upgrading of institutions and programmes that have been on the landscape for some time. These include URP, On-the-job training, Transformational and Development Centres, SHARE, YTEPP, Civilian Conservation Corps and Self-Help. I have no doubt that some of these programmes have value, but should we not evaluate them before relying on them to launch TT into the rank of a developed nation? Coming out strongly in V2020 was the belief that we can buy our way to developed status with revenues from oil and gas. According to V2020 we can become more healthy by building numerous health care facilities. Only a brief mention was made of public education on diet and exercise.

V2020 expects community development to be a consequence of building new social and recreational centres. National security will improve by training the forces, by acquiring new vehicles, and building new stations. Nothing was said about motivating law enforcement agencies to do their duty. In the same manner V2020 expects that building a Family Services Centre, and nine regional centres will enhance family life. Nothing was said about taking parental education into at-risk homes. I am truly disappointed by this document; perhaps it was placed on the website prematurely. It surely does not meet the expectations expressed by the Hon Prime minister and the Hon Minister of Planning and Development in their speeches to launch the project.

DAVID   SUBRAN
Chaguanas