On Tuesday Trinidad & Tobago commemorates our 48th anniversary of Independence from Great Britain.I cannot say that we are “celebrating” Independence, because in my view we really have nothing to celebrate.
In almost every respect, we have, under our own governance, seen things become worse over the past 48 years. Our behaviour, our institutions, and our environment have all deteriorated during the time we have been “Independent”.
And this has not been for a lack of money.
It hurts me deeply to be forced to acknowledge this, even as we wait for the parade and the fireworks on Tuesday.
But the time has come to acknowledge that we are sick, and that we need to be cured, and where we cannot cure ourselves, we must bring in foreign “doctors” to do the job.
We have fooled ourselves for long enough, living in denial and never planning beyond the next fete, and this must stop now.
I know that there is a lot of what we do here which is still good, and praise worthy. But these are just glowing embers in the darkness we have allowed to envelop us. We need to keep fanning those embers to eventually re-light the fires of our Independence.
But that alone will not help. Much more is needed in all of the basics of a supposedly modern society.
Forty eight years ago we were given the motto: “Together we Aspire, Together we Achieve”. Inspiring words, you may believe!
But our national aspirations have been hijacked to match the lowest common denominator of our individual aspirations.
Vainglorious projects like the Waterfront, NAPA, Tarouba, the Prime Minister’s residence and grand showcase summits shine like tinsel while the people live without water amidst flooding, atrocious health care, and assailed by crime that spreads like cancer.
At every level of our society a more appropriate motto would be “Together we Desire, Together we Receive”!
We have surrendered every vestige of personal independence and initiative, and everyone believes that the government must do everything for us—even as we acknowledge the incompetence of our governments.
We have cloaked ourselves in victimhood and excuses for the failures we have become. We have absolutely no understanding of Patriotism, and we expect the new government to fix everything except the scams in which we are personally involved.
The incompetence in all of our government institutions have become covers for the corruption in these institutions.
Licensing Office, Passport Office, the judicial system, repairs to roads, bridges and drains, government vehicles, government buildings, medical equipment in our hospitals, and on and on!
Every thing, every system is rotted, rusted or broken. And we all know all these things to be true. We all break every law that we come across. We block roads and intersections with our cars and parked-up container trailers.
We drive on the highway shoulders, and force our way back into line when the shoulder ends, and woe betide any who law abiding citizen who complains.
We “boom out” loud music through our neighbourhoods—even “churches” do it! We do all this simply because we can. There is no one in authority who will stop us.
And then we wonder about the violent crime?
That is simply the next step. The new government is already being blamed for everything which they found when they took office.
They are being blamed for the failings of the PNM and of all of us who allowed the PNM to continue on its corrupt and incompetent way.
They are being called to account by persons who sat and suffered the PNM years without comment or complaint. I cannot help but conclude that this is all part of a well-orchestrated attack to discredit them before they get rolling.
How are we to face this cancer of disinterest, disloyalty, dishonesty and the constant demands for “me”?
When the new government came into power, I was one of many who felt that many of the new Ministers were coming on too strong in their criticisms—not necessarily of the PNM, but of their “charges” and others.
Doctors and health workers were publicly criticized by the Minister of Health, the AG publicly berated the Commissioner of Police, Jack Warner spared no one in his criticisms of wrongs he was unearthing, and Anil Roberts took on the United States Embassy.
And they even criticize each other! All conventional protocols were being ignored.
Well, I have changed my outlook.
Maybe these protocols have kept us bound too long. Maybe our new government needs to publicly rebuke the slack, the incompetent and the corrupt among us.
My wish for this Independence anniversary is that we move from acknowledgement of our failings into the stage of correcting them.
2 comments:
Well said, Peter, on unfortunately far too many counts.
But among mention of "vainglorious" projects on which has been squandered so much of the country's money, I was reminded of the stereotypical Caribbean youth that people in Toronto and so many other ports-of-arrival for West Indian folks, snicker at.
As is universally acknowledged there has always been a certain calibre of W.I. person to be seen everywhere from Mississauga to Ajax.
He's the one with a roach infested, cheap, largely unfurnished one room living space, and yet he's cruising the streets in his "brand new" 1997 Honda, a five thousand dollar car with a ten thousand dollar stereo, and 5 years of payments still to make.
It's all just a matter of priorities, right? Check the last Emperors compelling example.
Aha! And so Peter O'Connor finally comes of age!
I say that very much tongue in cheek, of course, Peter, but I am sincere when I say that this is perhaps one of your finer articles. The realization you arrive at in your final paragraph is an admission that many more people need to confess to, I think - more so to themselves than to anyone else. I for one am grateful that you found the courage to do so, and not just within yourself or even your circle, but to the population at large. I think that you will be surprised at how many people (the usual naysayers aside) will side with you and say they have all felt the same way but were frankly too uncertain or even too afraid to state it out loud.
Hats off to you, my Friend!
RMS
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