Vision 2020, a flight of fantasy

THE EDITOR: THE Government has been speaking of its Vision 2020 mostly in public relations terms since delivering the national budget in October of 2002. The plan, ‘Vision 2020 — People our priority’ is to create a developed nation in 17 years. Today almost every single living room has been touched by the PR arm of the Cabinet’s Multi Sectoral Core Group, headed by local industrialist, Arthur Lok Jack. The safe assumption now is that everyone has heard of the plan and is aware of the Government’s desire to make Trinidad and Tobago fully developed by the year 2020. Prime Minister Patrick Manning spoke at length of the intentions of the plan at the Vision 2020 launch which was held last November. In what sounded more like an emperor’s edict rather than the articulation of intentions, he told those gathered: “Trinidad and Tobago will be a society of creative thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs. The people will display a high sense of productivity. All citizens will be given equal opportunity for personal growth and active participation in their own development.”

The Prime Minister went further on to explain how citizens will be able to participate in their own development by being equipped with sufficient access and resources: “The vision of Trinidad and Tobago becoming a fully developed country means that all citizens will enjoy a high quality of life including housing, health, education, transportation, telecommunications, water and electricity.” Appearing to wade slightly into the nature of politics of the country, PM Manning added: “It is envisaged that the society will be one which is inclusive, cohesive and caring with strong spiritual and ethical values, imbued with a deep sense of nationalism.” But that all amounts to a lot of intentions supported by hopes! And much of what Mr Manning wants can be delivered in the short term through efficient service delivery strategies. And we must not allow the Government to con us into thinking otherwise. Though it is trying. Prime Minister Manning is yet to outline his own vision and philosophy for Trinidad and Tobago. He is yet to outline a map of plans to get us there. He and his Government are yet to display the leadership in terms of attitudes and the behaviour that will be taken as the first signal of changes. We cannot count conjecture and talk of inclusion as vision. And he cannot employ persons or groups to come up with a vision for him. One of the fundamental characteristics of a true leader is vision.

Many thousands of people in the country go about their daily lives without basic amenities and access to ordinary public and essential services. In our oil and gas rich nation the right amount of money (which we have) together with a properly thought out and widely contributed to plan can deliver such things almost immediately. Most economic experts agree that at the macro level, the economy is in good shape, though many have expressed concern over the slowly shrinking small business sector and the lack of clear development strategies for economic diversification. The capacity of the Manufacturing Sector in particular must of necessity be braced with a solid foundation if the country is to enhance its competitiveness in the face of trade barriers falling across the world. Already, some are thinking about survival when natural resources are depleted. The effectiveness of any plan for development will be measured by the success of approaches to social policies and human capital development. Not to mention of course, successes in other sectors including Tourism and Agriculture. And so far we have been hearing only of initiatives but nothing of how these initiatives are intended to work and what they are intended to achieve. More than that, we are hearing little more than superficial and general statements about the role and function of stakeholders. Who are the stakeholders? The ability to control crime is also a major indicator of a successful Government, even if it is not a factor in the many formulae used to rate countries. It is the one area that the Government very quickly emerged as weak. The year 2003 has seen over 140 murders and almost 120 kidnappings in addition to a general decline in the observance of traffic and environmental laws. This, in a nation of 1.3 million people.

Reports are mounting of business families and large numbers of young graduates leaving or refusing to return to Trinidad and Tobago mainly because of the prevalence of crime. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Sectors of the population have expressed a high level of distrust for the protective services and residents of San Juan who reported some months ago that members of the Defence Force came into their village and started randomly attacking them without provocation are still waiting official word on the outcome of the investigation. Reports in the main-stream media have also expressed a heightened distrust in the banking sector with the wealthier families saying that financial information is easy to obtain. The family of one kidnap victim, businessman, Saran Kissoondan, claimed that the kidnappers knew exactly the amount of money held in the man’s bank accounts. The Education system, though now appearing to be able to accommodate more students than before, is still to show signs of understanding why thousands of children fall out of the system. We still have children who graduate from school at 17 unable to read and write. In spite of increased financial support for parents, many children are still not attending school and for those who enter secondary school, many do not remain. So are we attempting to school children without necessarily educating them? Race relations have fallen to an all time low. Some arms of the media who have professed full support for the ruling party have also been known to condone full frontal attacks on members of the East Indian population. “Walking vomit” and “fundamentalists” are only two of the terms used to describe Indians, and one commentator expressed a fear of an Indianised Trinidad and called for the destruction of an 80 foot Hanuman murti in Central Trinidad.

Complaints of rising food prices are also continuing though coverage comes mostly in the electronic media’s radio arm. The newspaper and television reports are at a minimum. Some claim that “standard” grocery items cost at least $150 more today than it did six months ago, and prices are increasing regularly. That would be an easier pill to swallow if the population understood the source of these increases. Are they because of increased transport related costs? Or increased production costs? Or is it that business owners are increasing their profit margins?

A large section of the population remains with a deep sense of nervousness over an alleged relationship with the Government, the Jamaat al Muslimeen and criminal elements. And the business sector, though it has launched helpful programmes, is still expressing dissatisfaction over Government’s seeming inability to address crime. That nervousness is exacerbated by the Prime Minister admitting to meetings with Yasin Abu Bakr coupled with reports of other groups being unable to attract his attention. We have not heard the Government state in absolute terms that it does not share a relationship with the Jamaat or criminal elements. Or if it does, what relationship? Further, the Government has still not addressed the country’s lack of anti-terrorism laws which more and more, is becoming a major indicator of our desire to continue good relations and cooperation with the United States. We have had no clear indication as to the rate of unemployment as it stands now. But fear has sharpened of an increase, especially in the wake of retrenchment of 9,000 workers of Caroni Limited. What about the figures relating to under-employment? And these are only some of the more visible problems. Transparency with the Government amounts to information programmes that have a very clear mandate to promote Government, and not necessarily to promote the truth about our affairs.

So how exactly are we expected to become a developed country in 17 years? Or is this a very carefully stage-managed political production to throw up mirages when the population becomes unsettled over legitimate concerns? Vision 2020, a year after the public was introduced to it, remains a flight of fantasy, the ambitious intention of a Government that appears to be unable to control the now, far less have the tact and vision to control the future. History has a way of vindicating those who choose to view things soberly, rather than try to protect the party in power by smiling and saying all is well. Trinidad and Tobago WILL NOT be developed by 2020. In fact, once saddled with the same constitution and system of politics, we will be no further than we are now. By then we may even have fallen back. And being young, I have 17 years to wait for my own vindication.

BF RAMBALLY
A soon to be former resident of Arima (yes, I too am leaving)