‘Wave your balisier’ mentality

THE EDITOR: The PNM continues to send the wrong signals to their supporters and to the youth in the country. For example, they introduce CEPEP, give contracts to their supporters and call them entrepreneurs. For the first time in world history, the PNM has created a class of entrepreneurs who don’t have to take a risk. They don’t have to make an investment. They don’t have to perform. All they have to do is support the Party. What they are in effect saying to their supporters is that you don’t have to burn the midnight oil studying, you don’t have to save to send your children to school, you don’t have to send your children to university. All you have to do is wave your balisier and you get everything you want, for nothing.

Some get plenty. Those who get the crumbs now have it in their heads that if they don’t get from the Government, it is their birthright to take it from those who have.  They don’t care that a businessman sacrifices and saves and takes 25 years to make a $1 million dollars. They want to kidnap him and take it all in a weekend. They don’t care that every Syrian that has a little money today had a father or grandfather named “Patik” who slaved day and night with toting heavy suitcases, to make a few dollars to send his children to school. The same can be said of so many Indians and indeed many Africans, who sit down with their children every night helping them with their school work. The new NHA housing developments are another example of this “wave your balisier” mentality. You can bet your bottom dollar that almost all will be allocated to PNM supporters. All these applicants have to do is support the Party, and they are “homeowners.” Others have to sacrifice and save for 20 years to reach this status. 

The Government is now engaged in a massive exercise to force the UNC to support the anti-crime bills. The PNM has the entire treasury at its disposal. All the UNC has is its political support to horse trade with. Yet the PNM wants the support of the Opposition without offering it anything in return. It’s the same mentality. The City Clerk in San Fernando has opposed the Circular Road development because the city infrastructure simply can’t take it. Yet the PNM is going full steam ahead with the project to bring in 2,000 of their supporters into the constituency. This blatant voter padding is the real crime taking place in this country. If the PNM wants UNC support in Parliament, it has to give up something in return. Give the UNC 50 percent of these apartments for its supporters and I am sure it would give the PNM its fullest support for these and other bills. This is a great opportunity for the PNM to show its supporters that to progress in life, you have to sacrifice something. You can’t expect handouts forever. This mentality is killing the country.

ROBIN SINGH
Palmiste