Make me a minister

I want to be a government minister. This Government is doing nothing for this country, it is so self-absorbed it does not know what to do with taxpayers’ money. Last week, proved to be a difficult time for the residents of Caparo and environs. These residents who suffered for almost three-quarters of last year, were once again threatened by rising flood waters. This is supposed to be the dry season and just when villagers thought salvation was here, they were faced with strange creatures crawling into their homes, loss of livestock and crops and water-borne diseases. I reside in Tabaquite and I am also a victim of these floods. When it floods, travelling to work becomes difficult and expensive, not to mention tiring. I wish Franklin Khan would stop smiling and get serious! I wish he would do something significant to help flood victims. If I had Khan’s ministry, flooding would have been addressed a long time ago. It may not take a tsunami to kill us, but flooding will be our undoing, mark my words.

If  I were a minister I would start assisting Tabaquite because unlike our Honourable Prime Minister I know that charity begins at home. First things first. Pavements! We need pavements from Tabaquite Composite, along the main road right up to the savannah. Carefree students walk along the Main Road oblivious to the fact that cars are so close to them. The slightest body movement could result in an accident. As for the bridge, if a vehicle is coming from the opposite direction the pedestrian has to hold on to the railing and hold on for dear life or suffer being knocked unconscious. I once saw a primary school student walking on the outer end of the bridge unaware of the danger she was in. The child could have easily slipped and fallen into the river. Of course, none of our ministers would take note of these things. As a matter of fact the only time Tabaquite sees a minister of government is at election time and all they do is wave from the back of a passing truck.

Second and possibly most important  . . .  the roads. As I write this I have no idea how I’m getting to work since a threatened landslide in Flanagin, which has been pleading for attention for the longest while, finally collapsed. So basically, there is no road for motorists to drive on. If I were minister that would receive my immediate attention. As for the roads in Tabaquite . . . let’s just say “horrible” is an understatement. There is no street in Tabaquite that is a road. As a matter of fact even the main road could do with some attention. The roads from Chaguanas to Tabaquite, San Fernando to Tabaquite, Gran Couva to Tabaquite and Rio Claro to Tabaquite are in even worse condition. The routes listed are the only ones to Tabaquite and these roads are not suitable for human use. It seems as though all the roads in our country have deteriorated or are rapidly doing so. Even on the highway, motorists risk pulling on to another vehicle because of potholes leading into the city of Port-of-Spain. This would be one of my main concerns if I were a government minister.

Crime! Crime in this country is rapidly increasing and even more so among the youth population. More stringent laws are needed and more honest policemen and Government members are needed. If I were a minister I am certain I would be able to pick out the bad apples. I would also form groups to assist parents to better deal with their children because charity begins at home and so too does violence. Since this culture is a culture of violence and crime, my groups would encourage parents to bring up their children differently with strong values and teach them not to follow the crowd. Finally, if I were a member of this Government I would not make lame excuses.

It is a fact that the number of kidnappings are ridiculous and yet when a foreign paper merely states that “Kidnappings send a chill through sunny Trinidad,” Minister Martin Joseph writes to the newspaper saying the story gave “a biased, incorrect and uninformed view of TT.” Come on Minister Joseph, we all know better than that. If I were the Minister of National Security I would not try to make sorry excuses for my “non-action” Government. I would take this as a sign and as a wake up call. I would realise that something has to be done soon if I wanted to survive in this country. I would stop sitting around doing nothing! Make me a minister and I’ll show them how to do the job!