Fortitude from people of Bamboo

THE EDITOR: It is highly unlikely that Franklyn Khan perceives the recent protests by residents of Bamboo Settlement as another symptom of PNM maladministration. Why should he care about the welfare of the people of Bamboo and their daily struggles? After all, they are supporters of the UNC. Driving to and from Port-of-Spain daily for the past year, I have become accustomed to the agonising traffic congestion during rush hour. Caught in the news-breaking protest action by Grand Bazaar, the distress became ten times worse. But my heart went out to these brave, civic-minded people and I really admire their courage and fortitude. They stood firm and did not yield to intimidation by the police who clearly do not know or care about the rights of citizens.

Khan, with his uninterrupted smile, has succeeded in exasperating the travelling public as he imprudently added lanes and created bottlenecks, and made a mess of things. The infernal barriers that Khan ordered to be placed by Grand Bazaar are a symbol of the spitefulness of the government. His aim was to cause maximum inconvenience to the parents and children of Bamboo on the first day of school. This is the PNM inroads that they boast about. Khan was unconcerned that his plan would result in an increase in taxi fares and a decrease in business at Grand Bazaar, while motorists would have to go all the way to the Caroni flyover or to Aranguez. This is the traditional PNM way of doing things. The community of Bamboo has shown extraordinary grit and true strength. The Bible says there is a time for everything, and after all the discrimination this was the time to take a stand as they put themselves in harm’s way. The police were forced to remove Khan’s willy-nilly barriers. The solution, of course, is to build the overpass. But the money allocated for this has been squandered in cheap political projects like painting NHA apartments. Really and truly, we have not seen anything as yet, and we should brace ourselves for the worse.

INDIRA PANAGSINGH
San Fernando