The decline of TT since independence

We in TT are witnessing the tragic process on a daily basis. The older ones among us would have a clearer vision of the economic, social and physical decline since independence.

The quality of politics and the highly flawed system of governance have not helped. While recent events have exposed fundamental weaknesses in the economy, the economy was always weak and vulnerable, showing little responsiveness to bureaucratic intervention.

The social decay attests to the failure of policies in almost every sphere. All the international indices show that the situation in TT is getting worse. There is a blame game, but there is no civil discourse to reverse the trends.

The truth is the country has been saved from total collapse by the occasional energy booms. Even though nominal incomes have increased since the 1960s, their buying power have fallen significantly.

The environment is in shambles.

Rivers which once carried untreated water which people could drink and in which fish lived are now pools of filth. The air is filled with carcinogens bountifully provided by the thousands of cars on the road. Can we argue that the quality of life has improved? Simple cases drag through the court system for ten and 15 years, and no one seems capable of doing anything. When they are called, witnesses can’t be found or have lost their memory, or the evidence has disappeared.

Despite the billions we spend on education every year, the pool of criminals seem to get ever larger.

Money that should be spent on drainage, access roads, drugs, hospitals, schools and technical training have to be diverted to new goals — more equipment for the police, new courthouses etc. The goals are filled partly because the system of punishment is archaic.

While the Parliament spends most of its time passing new laws, many of the old ones receive occasional attention. There is one that now receives no attention from the police. And that is noise in residential areas from which every community in this country suffers.

Gone are the days of the little stereo sets used for home parties which would end early in the evening.

Now that has given way to massive boom boxes which rattle your windows and assault your ear drums until 3 am. I get the noise from the north and from the west on a regular basis. I am tired of writing and calling the Arouca Police Station from which I get a different excuse each time. As I write this letter the boom boxes to the west of me are in full cry.

But that is just the tip of the lawlessness that pervades the society.

We spend millions of dollars on commissions of inquiry. And the reports disappear into oblivion.

There is no explanation. Where is the Clico report, for instance? There are countless other reports which have consumed time and money, and no one is accountable.

A few months ago a group of individuals was apparently licensed to stage a racing event at Wallerfield and used a stack of tyres to protect the public.

Two cars mowed down the crowd and severely injured four individuals who are still receiving medical treatment.

The individuals have contributed nothing to the medical cost of the injured, but are back at Wallerfield playing with their toys, apparently with the full concurrence of the Ministry of Sports.

Police Commissioner, Sports Minister, where is the police report on this traumatic event? It is not difficult to understand the disappearance of trust between the police and the community. A resurgence of honesty and a change in attitude could work wonders.

R RAMSARAN St Augustine