INDEPENDENT Senator Dr Sharda Patasar called for an end to tribal politics and a start of meaningful conversations about development in TT.

She made these comments in her contribution to the budget debate in the Senate on Monday.

This was also Patasar's maiden contribution since her appointment as an independent senator on September 11.

She told her senatorial colleagues that as a musician and cultural researcher, she could not speak to the economics outlined in the budget.

But Patasar said that in conversations with young people in her spheres of influence, they have told her they dislike the type of politics taking place in TT and the behaviour of some of its leaders.

She said young people have told her, "The tribal politics are not attractive to us. We want to know what the issues mean to us."

Patasar also viewed the creation of spaces for cultural development in communities as important as providing socio-economic opportunities for residents and denying opportunities for crime to spread.

She said economic growth could not be properly addressed if crime is not dealt with holistically.

Patasar also said crime influences people's mental health and "ties right into the wellness agenda (that the government is trying to promote)."

She said mental health also influences individual production, and people need the proper spaces to develop their creativity.

From a philosophical perspective, Patasar said a budget should tell the story of a nation's development in relation to the changing world around it.

"What story is it telling? What story is it writing?"

The post Senator Patasar: End tribal politics appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.