THE EDITOR: The business community must do its part in rescuing our country now. The Prime Minister has indicated that an election will be called in about a year from now. A year is a long time but not in politics.
What is positive about that statement is that it allows for the formation of a very well organised political entity to take TT forward. Let us examine what we have and what is required.
The Opposition UNC is the largest political party outside of the ruling PNM. Both parties do not seem to be popular among the majority of the population. While voters are looking for something new, they are sufficiently informed and intelligent to agree that a new entity without the appropriate personnel to inspire hope will not get their support.
The population is looking for a leader who can unite the races, who has a history of honesty and integrity and who is not seeking self-enrichment. Such a leader ought to have expertise in agriculture, tourism, education, economics, local government management, crime management, computer science, sports and the many other areas that need competent people - like water management and land and property management.
TT has such people. They come from both sides of the political divide. Those are the people who must come forward now to offer their services. A major obstacle to getting the appropriate people to serve is economic persecution.
I had to decide between politics and my job when I decided to offer to serve. Consequently, I suffered economically. That is a real concern and is perhaps the number one reason many competent people prefer to write and offer solutions but refuse to represent the people in an election.
For TT to realise its true potential and develop into an economic powerhouse with a strong agricultural sector, a vibrant tourism industry and a place where one's safety is secured, the business community that continually finances the parties that have failed TT must change its focus and support a new entity.
The business sector must not only support a political organisation with brilliant leaders, but it must also participate by allowing many from among its management sector to offer their services to the country. It must finance the new political organisation and offer guidance.
The people with ideas and no financial resources cannot ever be successful in a general election, regardless of their best intentions.
Someone must answer the phone of a political organisation, someone must manage the data for each constituency, there must be jerseys, political material, advertisements and staff to spread the word. Those things are costly. So, unless the people, in concert with our business community, come together to fix our country, we will continue to go down our present road celebrating mediocrity.
STEVE ALVAREZ
via e-mail
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