The world looked on in disbelief and horror as war erupted in Europe in February. Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, gave the order to invade Ukraine under the pretext of a “demilitarisation and denazification exercise”, but US President Joe Biden has labelled him a “war criminal”.
Russia and Ukraine directly influence the global commodity markets for wheat, oil and gas. A prolonged conflict will toss the global economy into further disarray, which is already embattled by supply chain gridlocks and inflation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
On the domestic front, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has telegraphed yet another gas spike using the narrative of the Russia-Ukraine turmoil. However, it was his Government that closed down the refinery at Petrotrin and established Paria to import all fuels for domestic use, which naturally created the conditions for higher prices at the pump based on any global volatility.
The mismanagement at Paria also resulted in the heartbreaking deaths of four divers and the psychological scarring of a fifth diver. The tragedy rocked the nation to its core because of the alleged plugging of the flange at Berth 6 that prevented a rescue mission and committed the divers to a certain fatality, coupled with the contempt and lack of humanity meted out to the divers’ families.
Unemployment is surging, especially among women and young people. Freight hikes, forex shortages and supply chain disruptions are resulting in fewer items in consumer baskets and less food on dinner tables.
The demand for food hampers is exploding. Crime is becoming more brazen. Government debt is the highest in our history. The hydrocarbon sector is still our mainstay and diversification is an afterthought. Our education system is failing, and food security is non-existent.
The imbroglio surrounding the alleged interference in the selection of the Commissioner of Police was surreptitiously executed by a “high-ranking public official”. The Prime Minister confessed he had met with former Police Service Commission (PolSC) chairman, Bliss Seepersad, last year in order to give her information.
That eventually led to her rescinding the Commissioner of Police merit list after handing it over to President Paula-Mae Weekes. The Prime Minister’s confession unconsciously confirmed in the national psyche that the highest officeholders in the land breach the Constitution.
The stark reality is that the Government has dismantled or interfered with every national institution and system, and consequently heaped untold hardship on the poor and underprivileged.
The pandemic and war will only add further angst and suffering to an already ailing national economy, society and people.
As US and European allies continue to apply pressure on Putin through sanctions, Russia will inevitably pivot to China and other emerging markets to sell its commodities. The fallout from this conflict is likely to uncontrollably increase the prices of US goods and services, which are already experiencing record-high inflation rates.
The US is a major import market for Trinidad and Tobago and therefore any disruptions there will spill over here.
After seven years of national destruction, the country is growing weary and losing patience with this Government. The Prime Minister has resorted to a reshuffle in both the Parliament and in his Cabinet to deflect from the vortex of chaos.
Onlookers proffer that the Prime Minister is attempting to isolate his opponents for the PNM internal elections. Others surmise that the mounting frustration among citizens has led to fractures and infighting within the party. Whatever the rationale, the country is yearning for exemplary governance through honest, corruption-free and trustworthy leadership.
As the world positions itself to monetise the next Industrial Revolution through robotics, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), digital transformation, green and sustainable energy, and upskilling and reskilling labour forces, this Government has passed legislation to import security guards and domestic workers through the Immigration (Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals) (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Trinidad and Tobago is under siege and the Government is telling the nation to “rock so”!
Former tertiary education minister and former Chaguanas East MP
Ongoing complaints and protest action in parts of south-eastern Trinidad about the deplorable state of roads have combined to create, once again, a situation in which the burning of tyres and blocking of transport routes seem like a people’s only resolve.
We have to wonder if the Government is even aware of the state of South Trinidad, which is in the throes of unprecedented and unrelenting flooding.
Not since an army of bachacs stripped every leaf off a red-leaf ficus and a bird pepper plant overnight about 20 years ago, have I seen such complete decimation.
For those of us who were there in those days, whether young or old, involved in the major events of the time or just touched by their atmosphere or influence, there was no escaping the engulfing mood of expectancy and hope that pervaded the entire society.
With all the talk of the growing crime numbers and the tit for tat between the government and the opposition on the rising level of brain drain, especially in relation to our teachers and nurses, it seems to have missed the attention of many that the number of novel coronavirus cases are again on the rise.
Earlier this year, around March, I was asked by a community activist in Arima to write something about Lord Kitchener. Easter Monday, April 18, 2022, was the 100th anniversary of his birth, and a grand event was held, entitled “All Things Kitchener”, in Arima. I have decided to fulfil that request by writing something in anticipation of our 60th anniversary of Independence.
Every August 1 Emancipation Day we honour the freeing of our African ancestors from the bondage of enslavement. On August 1, 1990, however, Emancipation Day took on additional meaning when a large number of people who were held hostage at state-owned Trinidad and Tobago Television and in the Parliament at the Red House were freed. Just hours before, on July 31, Prime Minister ANR Robinson, who had been shot, was released for urgent medical care.
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