TT could end up like ‘rubber city’

In the days when Brazil was the main supplier of latex rubber to the world which was produced at the huge rubber plantations in the Amazon region of Northern Brazil, the “Rubber Barons” built and developed a great modern city in the middle of the wilderness.

It was adorned with palatial mansions and even included an opera house built from stone and marble imported from Europe and to which, artistes were brought from the greatest opera houses in Europe to perform at regular intervals.

The “Barons” and their families lived a life of luxury in this secluded but magnificent city of Pernambuco in the middle of nowhere in splendour and comfort to the taste of champagne and caviar and without a care in the world.

There came a day however, when it is said that an enterprising individual began to transport rubber plants from Brazil to some other countries where the climate was suitable and established larger rubber plantations where he was able to produce latex rubber at a competitive cost which, needless to say, put a serious dent in the pockets of the “Barons of Pernambuco.”

In a TV production which I happened to view some time back, most if not all the lavish homes had been abandoned and the famous “Opera House” was a sad relic of the days of grandeur during an era long since gone.

This brings me to the present time and here in the twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago which, is riding high on the wave of increased gas and oil production with accompanying severely increased world market prices.

We are seemingly enjoying the suddenly increased wealth which is being spent in the overnight construction of a quantity of multi-storeyed buildings of glass and concrete, expensive sports stadia all over the country that are all under utilised, wild spending of the people’s money in avenues that will not provide any returns in the future and inviting foreign enterprise to set up energy driven plants here that will only hasten the demise of our gas and oil reserves which are non-renewable.

Since we have basically no agricultural programmes in place and 80 percent of which we eat is imported and there is no other local industry that can sustain our present rate of expenditure and lifestyle, we may very well end up like or even worse off than the once magnificent city of Pernambuco, thanks to a total lack of vision and planning on the part of the authorities.

One thing that I am sure of is that I will not be around when that time comes, but I shudder to contemplate the days which will surely come when all that will be left is a quantity of large and expensive concrete and glass memorials to an era of gross stupidity on the part of the individuals in whom the citizens misplaced their trust.

MARTIN KAVANAGH

La Romaine