No plans for million dollar task

THE EDITOR: Over the past weeks, months, I have been seeing via the newspapers, ministers like Rahael, Khan and Imbert quoting large sums of money which they are going to spend on their various tasks. To them it must be so wonderful to mouth off how many millions are going to be spent on equipment at this hospital, or building of that road, or the educating of the almost brain dead. I agree with your opinion column, page ten of April 19, 2004. Anyway, the accent here seems to be on how much money rather than whether there had been a plan of all this before.

From where I sit, nothing that these ministers have spoken of has been implemented or will be implemented in the near future. Take for instance the old talk by F Khan, the honourable minister of roads, who is also chairman of his political party and who regularly holds acting portfolios. When will he find time to implement all those plans that are now swimming about in his head? Right now his main concern is to make vain promises while trying his best to maintain his smile and talk at the same time. But also, right now workers and students are “catching real hell” on their way to Port-of-Spain and back each day. By the time you build your remedial highways, many will die slowly from inhalation of poisonous exhaust fumes, accidents, frustration or just waiting in line. Is that your real plan?

Now as to the “millions of dollars” worth of machinery to be installed in hospitals to cater to patients who had been waiting patiently for years for operations etc. Is there any thought being given to maintenance, or the people who will maintain the machinery? In the past, machinery of similar natures had been left to rot for the same reason. What steps are being taken to ensure that history will not repeat itself as far as that is concerned? The kind of maintenance people I see in and around the hospitals are far more interested in chatting and idling and looking around to see what they could carry home. Now I see Mr Imbert is going to “crash-train” Laventillians to man the FTAA jobs. I hope that in the ten weeks or so that the batches will train, some time will be spent in showing respect for others in speech, thoughts and actions. Also, some time should be spent in letting the students learn real words so that every second one will not be a prayer-word. Last but not least, he should not fix the John D Technical Institute because then he would not be able to rant at the UNC for “ignoring” it when they were in government.

SUE SANKAR
Chaguanas