“[…] It is a great achievement to celebrate 60 years, but can we as a people really say that we have all truly enjoyed the benefits of being an independent nation?
“There are many positive achievements, most of which can be attributed to our sportsmen and women, our cultural artists, our academics among others, but if an analysis is done on our economic, social, cultural, law enforcement, justice and the political apparatus, the negatives in it would outweigh the positives…”
The following Letter to the Editor on the importance of Independence Day and the growth needed for Trinidad and Tobago as a nation state was submitted to Wired868 by Bryan St Louis:
(Copyright CPop Designs/ Flickr)
Six decades ago, on August 31, 1962, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation.
When someone says they are independent, it really means that they have the freedom and ability to make informed decisions in life without having to ask permission, help, or money from other people, and they take full responsibility for it. all their activities.
Can this statement be attributed to our nation Trinidad and Tobago?
It is a great achievement to celebrate 60 years, but can we as a people really say that we have all truly enjoyed the benefits of being an independent nation?
The talks lasted about two weeks and resulted in Independence for Trinidad and Tobago.
(AP/Staff Photo/Laurence Harris)
There are many positive achievements, most of which can be attributed to our sportsmen and women, our cultural artists, our academics among others – but if one analyzes our economic, social, cultural, law enforcement, justice and politics. camera, the negatives in it would outweigh the positives.
In addition, after 60 years of independence, we still have an unequal education system, intolerable road conditions, inefficient public transport, exorbitant food prices, flooding every time it rains, poor and unreliable health services, supply insufficient water, high crime rates, an inefficient justice system, an underdeveloped and unstable agricultural sector, an unidentifiable national cultural identity and a lack of stable employment.
As they continue to say we are all in this together, those who have continued to thrive while those who haven’t suffer. As a result, the average citizen does not have equal opportunities to access various public facilities and amenities – all against the backdrop of billions of dollars of our national heritage being spent on unsustainable growth areas over the years.
As an independent nation, we still cannot get our politics right as our politicians constantly blame each other amid allegations of corruption and misconduct in public office and do not accept responsibility for their failures while in office. to meaningfully address issues affecting citizenship.
Instead, opportunities to foment racial strife, religious conflict and intolerance, political isolation and victimization are seized by politicians who, at election time, conveniently recall our Constitution as it relates to the right of citizens and these words from our national anthem. national: “Here every faith and race, find an equal place”.
Will it take another 60 years for those in power to put aside party politics and seriously address the issues of corruption, inflation, crime, proper representation, inappropriate political appointments, indiscipline among our youth, public services of weak and inefficient, sustainable infrastructural and economic development? and all other issues that affect the lives of our citizens?
(Copyright Newsday)
What about antiquated labor legislation that affects our industrial relations landscape? When will they be changed to level the playing field and provide much needed protections for working class citizens?
Our nation has gained Independence, but based on the above, there is a lack of leadership to achieve our national objectives. As ordinary citizens, we have no say in the operations of our government, which is controlled by politicians acting as monarchs. Instead of acting as servants of the people, they act as owners of the nation.
So as we celebrate this important milestone in the life of our nation, it is incumbent upon us as citizens to realize that we have the power to determine the course of our nation and ensure that we become truly independent.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Of course, being independent means more than a party of activities, fireworks and a parade. Once that is the focus, then being independent would become irrelevant and remembered only when we commemorate August 31, 1962 – which for many is just another day on our calendar and another opportunity to enjoy a public holiday.
We would achieve political and economic freedom and appreciate the real value of independence when we as a people do all that is necessary to mobilize and organize so that we can bring about that revolutionary change in our Constitution and systems. of governance.
In the process, we would create, build and develop a system of government which would take into account the views, needs and aspirations of the ordinary citizens of multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious Trinidad and Tobago.
