THE EDITOR: Old papers kept for no apparent reason. Broken furniture, dishes and cutlery that are of no use, newspapers and junk all packed in bags are finally discarded. The walls are scraped of their flaking paint, the floor finishes are stripped, and the old furniture discarded. Piles of old clothing, old trinkets that you never touched for years, old tools, boxes of stuff that just laid there but are of no use are thrown away and the place is thoroughly cleaned.

Then comes the exciting part - new paint, the flat-screen television replacing that discarded hunchback glass screen TV. The new furniture, cleared closets with space for new clothing now that the old has been dumped.

Suddenly, the house seems new, you feel energised, you can finally sit and enjoy watching a movie or reading a book. It feels good to breathe clean new air. The burden of years of accumulated junk is gone and a new day - a new life - dawns.

Renewal! Wow! It is wonderful. It energises the soul. Christmas time gives some of us a glimpse of that renewal. New replacing the old and useless. That is what is required in TT.

We cannot continue with people and a system that make excuses for doing nothing to alleviate flooding. A management totally lost in its ineptitude regarding water distribution. Politicians comfortable with cases before the courts taking decades for hearing. A management that grows more and more comfortable with gunmen daily imposing their judgment and power from the barrel of their guns. A police service that is so disorganised that simply assigning a leader is a monumental task. No policy regarding land survey and ownership certification. Unable to do simple things like assigning official vehicle identification plates. An economic policy that in fact simply says, 'let's hope that foreigners find more oil and gas so we can benefit from the taxes.'

This situation cannot continue. It is time for a major restructure. Time to clean up and discard the years of accumulated junk and incompetence and start over.

As we approach a new year, we must see concerted efforts to fix every roadway in TT. We must see state-issued vehicle identification plates. We must see a renewal in our judiciary with daily court hearings for murders and gun violence, plea bargaining, dismissal of cases that are for decades being finalised. We must see water in every house and village. There must be police patrols that are structured to allow every sector of TT to be safe again.

Agriculture, tourism, cultural festivities, sports, education and social services must be restructured to energise the population towards working together towards a renewed nation. A total restructure, getting rid of the old and in with the new. New ideas, new initiatives and new personnel in management.

We can do it. It is what gives us hope. Let 2023 be the beginning of that renewal.

Happy New Year, TT.

STEVE ALVAREZ

via e-mail

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