THE EDITOR: It is beyond comprehension how those in authority seem to be comfortable with the sorry state of affairs in TT. The country's mood is depressing and reeks of hopelessness. Nothing seems to work and no one seems to care.

Driving through the country one cannot help but notice the deplorable state of the roads. It is no longer a matter of avoiding a pothole (more like a basin hole), but a matter of choosing which pothole to drive into. Damage to vehicles is felt in the pockets of already stressed citizens, with no compensation from those charged with the responsibility of ensuring a better quality of roadways.

The country looks gloomy and backward, especially at night, with overgrown bush on major roadways. The state of the Southern Main Road between the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and San Fernando (the so-called industrial capital) is an embarrassment and shockingly unbelievable that such roads exists in TT in 2021.

Crime is rampant with over 400 murders to date this year. Robberies, shootings, home invasions and other crimes go unchecked and undetected. Citizens fear for their safety.

Covid19 aside, the economy and healthcare system are in shambles. Businesses are closing daily and thousands are on the breadline.

Added to this, covid19-related deaths and cases are rising daily and becoming scarier by the day. Citizens are traumatised by all these deaths and cases. We are "number one" in the world for deaths per million. I wonder what the number one Minister of Health has to say about that?

With all of this happening around us, what are those in authority doing? They are fighting over the selection of a police commissioner, leading to the collapse of the "independent" Police Service Commission after all members embarrassingly resigned. Now they are changing the process for selecting a commissioner and deputy commissioner, revoking legal notice 183 and replacing it with legal notice 277, effectively eliminating some candidates for the position. This can be perceived as political interference.

The President is silent on important issues that begs her intervention and impartial pronouncements. So many pressing issues to debate but an independent senator could only muster up a private motion against the behaviour of the Opposition senators. The goodly senator has only observed bullies and unparliamentary behaviour coming from the UNC senators. What a shame!

The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate are perceived as silencing the Opposition and the over 300,000 citizens they represent.

The Minister of Finance is busy thinking up ideas and ways to tax an already scrunting population. He is now focusing on introducing an ill-timed property tax.

The Equal Opportunity Tribunal is no longer equal. How ironic. It has lost its compassion for the differently abled and disrespected the President in the process.

Newspaper headlines like "Comess at Integrity Commission" are disheartening.

Millions of dollars have been lost because of mismanagement by the boa