‘Sugar water’ call saddens COP

Dookeran drew reference to a telephone caller who called into a recently aired talk show programme to say that she fed her children “sugar water” and sent them off to bed without supper. He explained that he had an emotional response to that caller’s plight and that partly prompted the Food Campaign. “We have a situation where 20 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago is living below the subsistence level,” the COP leader said.

Adding to the problem of inflation is an income that does not increase accordingly. Dookeran stated: “Everyday prices are increasing but people’s incomes are not increasing. We also need to increase incomes to fit the ever-increasing cost of living.”

According to Dookeran, the COP is better equipped to deal with the rise in food prices, increase food production and set the economy right. He criticised the present Government’s inability to anticipate economic issues, assess the problems and offer workable solutions. Dookeran said: “We believe the economy is now on auto-pilot because no one is managing it. Proper economic management must be introduced. The Government clearly does not understand how the economy works and how to resolve its problems.”

Dookeran urged the Government to address the issues of food shortage and rising food prices to avoid the kind of civil unrest occurring in other countries. He also indicated that the COP wants to take an active role in preventing people from rioting for food. He said, “We are beginning to witness the anger of people. But the COP will try to resist the things that may lead people to violence and keep things stable. We want to stand between and offer a rational, reasonable solution, because what we are witnessing in Trinidad and other parts of the world like Haiti and Venezuela is the beginning of a people’s revolt.”

He commented on the Government’s plan to establish Mega Farms saying: “Overall, it’s a good plan so long as it fits into a larger plan of food security. We should have anticipated this problem six years ago.”

Dookeran hinted at possible solutions to the problems of high food prices and the crime surge plaguing the country, but explained that the COP will reveal its alternative solutions during the COP Telethon.

“We have a Telethon which will air tomorrow night on Gayelle (tonight) and Radio Jagriti. There, we will be speaking about the solutions to food and crime on all fronts.”