Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah believes the "system" does not work in favour of the majority of citizens.
In his New Year's message, Abdulah first aimed at the current People's National Movement administration, accusing it of aggressively pursuing neo-liberal economic and social policies which exacerbate inequalities in Trinidad and Tobago, much like they do globally.
Neoliberalism favours private enterprise and aims to move control of economic factors from the government to the private sector, limiting government spending among other things.
"Higher electricity and water rates, selling the people’s shares in a profitable methanol company (MHTL) to a foreign multinational (Proman), attacking the trade union movement and introducing property tax on residences before industrial properties are just some examples of these policies," he said.
"There is no doubting that the rich are getting richer, prices are going up much faster and higher than workers’ incomes, so workers are getting poorer and there are very many citizens who don’t know where the next meal is coming from."
He said this is why many choose to turn to crime instead or to migrate. He said these types of policies have proven to be detrimental globally.
Abdulah said none of the parliamentary parties is interested in ending this system as "they prefer to give out 'food cards' to continue keeping people dependent, or now cards to pay the light bill, instead of keeping electricity bills low.
"This also only encourages more corruption and nepotism."
On top of this, he said, there are huge inequalities in the education system, health care system, a broken justice system and failing state institutions.
"What we have is a post-colonial system that certainly is not operating in the interest of the majority of the people. No amount of tinkering will result in any significant improvement and the elites who control tremendous economic and political power will do nothing to bring about real change since they benefit from this broken system."
"We, therefore, in all honesty and speaking truth to power, cannot say 'have a prosperous new year'. Only a tiny minority are now experiencing or will see prosperity in 2024. We can and do fervently wish everyone to have a 'peaceful new year,' but we know that for so many here in our nation and around the world they will only experience violence."
For any change in citizens' circumstances, Abdulah said, "is for there to be leadership that provides not only a vision for our nation, can unite us as a people, and articulates policies that will benefit the majority of the people instead of the minority of the elites."
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