Still time to work with the people

Government should never be a burden to its citizens.

No government should impose a traffic fine that is more than the fine for possession of arms and ammunition. No citizen should be so burdened by taxes that it stifles one’s ability to support one’s family.

Almost every political party in governance over the years seems to lose touch with the population shortly after being elected to serve. Ministers of government believe they no longer have to account to the people and blatantly refuse to answer pertinent questions with arrogance. Rather than showing empathy for citizens, they bold-facedly make excuses for incompetence and indifference to human suffering.

Projects to improve our infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, enhance agriculture, increase tourism, restructure our healthcare and education are shelved for short-term projects geared towards repaying party supporters.

No longer are politicians concerned about simple things like improving our water distribution system, local government restructuring, structured police patrols, regulating squatting on public and private lands or ensuring that our justice system is elevated to a place where citizens can once again trust our courts to effectively and efficiently deal with conflict resolution.

Perhaps governance blinds those in office to the realities on the ground. The people are saying: We are willing to pay property tax but not the complex structure that is being proposed.

Simply increasing the old taxes by a percentage in keeping with changes in the economy, like a 1,000 percent increase on the old taxes, is a better and less costly structure that is proposed. The proposed new traffic fines are punitive rather than fair.

Local government reform is long overdue. Legislation to reduce the case load in courts, introduce plea bargaining, reform the prison system and set up special courts to deal with violence and gun-related offences are long overdue.

The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure’s failure to deliver, the Tobago ferry service, the state of our roads, the lack of attention to buildings like the Red House, Whitehall and President’s House all point to incompetence. Mass transit is a serious requirement to reduce traffic congestion, not a political football.

WASA must be able to deliver a better water supply and restore roads with immediate effect or be restructured in partnership with the private sector. Tourism, agriculture and sports are areas where the Government can earn foreign exchange and provide employment for the many graduates that continue to join our workforce. It’s time to reduce the reliance on Government for sustenance and replace the initiatives with creating avenues for self-development and business growth. This requires partnership with the business community.

It’s time to listen to the people again. The nation cannot wait for election after election to change government and hope that in office someone will hear the cries of the people.

STEVE ALVAREZ via email