Take Care of Your country, Mr Manning

Dear Mr Manning, It is with great respect and admiration I write to you today. I understand that you have decided to be more charitable than ever. When you gave so much to Grenada I thought you just wanted to gain fame or even favouritism in the Caribbean, but now that you have decided to “assist” Asia, you have proven me wrong. I know now that you are just giving out of the kindness of your heart. Mr Manning the real reason I am writing is to let you know that people right here in your own country need your “assistance.” Since you’re being so charitable my dear Prime Minister I was wondering if you could grant me a little aid in completing my studies. Better yet sir, why not assist the people of Caparo and environs who have suffered for so long because of flooding?

Why not “assist” them by allocating some money to build a dam? As a matter of fact Honourable Minister of Finance, why don’t you be even more charitable and “assist” them every time it floods, to clean their homes and rebuild a life, maybe then you may know just how much they need your assistance? I also ask that you grant the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago some funds to help in its drive to educate parents about autism. It has been trying for years to do so, but has been finding it difficult through lack of funding. Only recently was the organisation able to collect enough money for a 15-minute video that cost something like $40,000.  Mr Manning the children at the hospitals throughout the nation are also in dire need of your assistance. The parents of at least half of these children are unable to pay for operations that can save their children’s lives.

What about technology Mr Manning? If we had the technology then maybe we wouldn’t have to pay a pound and a crown to send a one-month-old for surgery abroad. Maybe if you visited the Princess Elizabeth Home and just concentrated on what those children have to go through on a daily basis rather than concentrate on the media getting a photo of you holding a differently-abled child, then you might realise how much they need your assistance. In case you are not aware, there are many people in Trinidad and Tobago who still live beneath the poverty line. There are poor people in this country who are struggling to send their children to school, they, too,  need some “assistance.”

I would also be very happy if you were to reduce taxes. A big chunk of my salary goes to paying taxes. Another chunk pays for daily transport . . .  there goes my salary! To top it off, Mr Manning, after paying so much to get home I have to face those horrible roads. Maybe you can “donate” a little to help fix the roads. As for traffic congestion . . .  well let’s just say: “If you cannot see your assistance is needed here then you better visit another optometrist.” The price of food items is quite ridiculous, and since you are “giving away” money I suggest you give some to every family, just to purchase the basic food items. I remember a woman in the supermarket who did not have enough money to pay for the items she had placed on the counter. She had about three packs of channa in her bag  (she sold fried channa for a living) and my mother and I waited in the line while she went outside and quickly sold her last three packs in order to pay her bill.

It is people like her who need your assistance sir. People in your very own country are dying because of malnutrition and poverty but you choose to turn a blind eye to all of this… you choose to look at the big picture, but sometimes it is better that you start small. Then you start with what is most important or what is supposed to be most important to you … Trinidad and Tobago. While I agree Mr Manning that it is good to give charity and to assist other countries in time of disaster, I think you should seek the welfare of your country first. I think you should make certain that everything is as close to perfect as possible, then you could give to the rest of the world. The people of this country elected you because they thought you would assist them and take care of the country. They thought you would care just a little about them, unlike the other politicians, and secure their interests. Mr Manning I really hope you come to your senses soon and do what you were elected to do. Please take care of your country first, dear Mr Prime Minister.