THE EDITOR: Caribbean people know that our life is much more than sun and sea. Yes, it is about fantastic food, great company, music, dancing, Carnival, cricket and football. But it is about so much more.
It is about oppression, discrimination, struggle, belittlement, racism and pain. Caribbean life is also about being used to support the whims and fancies of the people of our colonial past.
If one is to ever become complacent about where the Caribbean people stand in world affairs, one must look at Haiti and Cuba and see that the struggle is nowhere close to being over.
Is it coincidence that when Brian Lara, one of the Caribbean's greatest cricketers, was in his prime there were so many questionable decisions against him?
In TT one simply has to look at the international decisions regarding our oil and gas industry to determine whether we got the best deals on the international market for our limited resources.
The feeling that discrimination and oppression were things of the past is fuelled by television, imported goods and great speeches.
The covid19 pandemic and the distribution of vaccines and treatment drugs tell of a different story. One can recall the sharing of vaccinations among Caribbean nations as just one of the ways some were able to access vaccines.
What are the lessons to be learnt from our history and the international treatment of Caribbean people? It is that we have a shared history and that we should also have a shared plan for growth and development.
Too many have suffered and died at the hands of our oppressors to now face daily murders and oppression from our very own. The guns in our neighbourhoods are destroying our youths.
The level of belligerence among our people is growing to uncomfortable heights, our cricketers are now struggling to meet international standards and in many islands the economies are facing a very uncertain future.
Do not be fooled or distracted, no one from outside of the Caribbean is coming to our rescue. Our history has shown us that when people come to the Caribbean they are here for their own interest - to enjoy our sun and sea, our food and culture or for economic reasons. No one is here to help us economically, socially or otherwise. That is a job for we the people and we alone.
It is we the people who must fix the racial divide that exists in Guyana and TT. It is we who have to come to the aid of Haiti and Cuba. We are the ones who must fix the high levels of murder and crime in communities in Trinidad, in Tobago and in Jamaica.
We must find a way to mould and educate our children away from a life of dependence to one of true independence. We must modify our education system to meet the challenges of an international market. We must elect leaders with a vision for a better tomorrow.
No one is coming to rescue us.
STEVE ALVAREZ
via e-mail
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