Leaders must see big picture

The people of this country are virtually powerless since we have no form of referendum (in spite of what the Keith Noel Committee says) or any form of pressure groupsthat can meaningfully impact on the political directorate.

While there are no doubts that religious and racial groups would like to continue with the status quo, a couple of suggestions advanced so far would make for a far more harmonious country than what pertains, with or without the crimes.

While we had no say about the naming of Trinidad 500 years ago, we did in our very recent past create a mistake (perhaps unknowingly) with our flawed 1962 constitution. It is very much in our hands and in our majority interest to fix the seemingly trivial errors (or is it trivialised errors?) of our immediate predecessors who themselves admit their errors.

If we are waiting for a new constitution which has not even been discussed far less tabled in the past five years, then it will certainly take another decade before any form of implementation can reasonably be expected with the current progress (or lack thereof) of our system.

In the meantime, TT needs action now before it degenerates into total anarchy and non governance, the signs are there for all to see. Our administration with their singular ability to bring or not to bring new legislation or amendments is doing us a grave injustice. They twiddle their fingers and fatten their pockets and stomachs while we beg for simple remedies to our declining society. The country is far too rich with natural and human resources to go around for every man, woman and child.

Please Mr Manning it is not rational for a country endowed with all the goodies of TT to continue on the current course of inequality, oppression and decisions that are massively out of sync with national aspirations with no hope of even a universal tool like a referendum to indicate our collective displeasure. Until our leaders get the big picture we will be a nation in upheaval. Our best brains will leave for the developed world and the foreign corporate companies will exploit us for the collective fools our leaders have made us.

In short, we the population are incapable of saving our country because the system used (and abused) by our politicians deprives us of any meaningful participation. Our only hope is to challenge authority (legally or by protest) in the hope of a lucky outcome.

Last month, a very old street in New York was renamed after Martin Luther King Jr with no outcry from anyone.