Expats thrive on TT’s lawlessness
THE EDITOR: As an expat from Eastern Europe, married to a local and living here for the past 16 years, I have watched this once beautiful paradise evolve into a state of lawlessness. I am not surprised that there is now blood flowing on our streets. The signs of decay have been here for sometime, yet, the authorities choose to turn a blind eye and continue to do so. We have more laws than most countries. We are certainly not short on laws. Our problem is, our authorities consistently refuse to enforce our laws and therefore, no one respects our laws. If the authorities refuse to enforce our laws quickly with penalties, then what is the message being sent to all and sundry? We have now become a global joke. Local foreign companies operating in TT have contempt for the laws of TT, because they know our laws are never enforced and our authorities are easily satisfied and fooled. They establish a locally registered branch office and then proceed to bring in expats from the UK and the USA to work here without "work permits." When the Immigration authorities at the airport begin to question the reason for their visits, the local office then cleverly fabricates designs and crafts "job descriptions," designed to show that these expats have specialised skills and they submit these "job descriptions" together with their applications to the Ministry of National Security, The Work Permit Committee, The Ministry of Energy and the Immigration authorities, who are hoodwinked into granting them work permits. To add insult to injury, these expats earn money from working in TT and are paid from the local branch office’s foreign account, thereby, depriving our Board of Inland Revenue and our country of hard currency and taxes, once again breaking the laws of TT. Who is to blame? I was not born here, I choose to live here legally and I hope to do so until my final days, because I truly love TT. Sometimes I feel as though I care more about TT than those who were blessed to have been born here. I have reported in detail and submitted documented evidence to the authorities which included: the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of National Security, the Work Permit Committee, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Energy and the Immigration authorities, yet to date no action has been taken. Companies continue to obtain work permits by fraudulent means and consultants enter our country as "visitors" to the local branch office when in reality, they are working here illegally and the authorities are aware of this, and the law breakers are not penalised. Crime at all levels will continue unabated unless and until the authorities immediately take quick and decisive action to enforce our laws. N GALETH
Maraval
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"Expats thrive on TT’s lawlessness"