THE EDITOR: If TT is to ever realise its true and best potential, we must start placing our best in positions of leadership. While we have many qualified personnel locally, many of our best are now gainfully employed abroad. We must find a way to attract these qualified and experienced citizens to return home and rebuild our land.

There are leaders in medicine, the arts, sports, business, construction, science and technology serving at the highest levels all over the globe. These people should be afforded a ticket home, a secure job, housing and other incentives to serve their country. The reward would be outstanding.

I say this from personal experience as the private sector paid for my return and offered incredibly attractive incentives to help with my relocation. Its is a move I have not regretted as every day I endeavour to contribute to the development of TT.

We are exceedingly fortunate to have a son of the soil who is at present in one of the highest offices in our nation's management and we should do all we can to not only retain him but encourage him to stay for the long term. I speak of a person with a Master of Science degree in security management from the University of Leicester; a post-graduate diploma in security management from the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester; a certificate in security management studies, UWI; a standard military course certificate for officers, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK; a graduate of St Mary's College, and having 17 years service in senior management positions with the Defence Force (1989-2016). He is currently our Commissioner of Police.

We should do all we can to retain his services and encourage others like him to serve our nation with pride. Our CoP has served as minister of national security, so he knows the politics of TT first-hand. He knows the players very well. He is extremely interested in our youths and sees sports and community redevelopment as an alternative to a life of crime. He is not a perfect person, but he is sincerely committed to country.

I cannot think of a better example of allowing our brightest and best to serve in rebuilding our country. We have some serious challenges ahead: the global economic uncertainties, the future of oil and gas, pandemics, climate change, drug addiction, social restructuring, food security and disaster management. These challenges will not go away, nor will they be concerned about politics. These challenges will be overcome by countries that utilise their brightest and best.

Unity must be the way forward and that unity must start with the rejection of politics based on ethnicity or ideology that is inimical to the best interest of our citizens.

STEVE ALVAREZ

via e-mail