'the snail'

This weekend we experienced the best in Trini's. Putting out for no gain just being able to help others. No promotion, no fame, zero fortune and I guess that is one of the more positive traits we have. By no means am I saying that others do not do the same but without a doubt we do it and we do it in a way that after we ask 'when is the next event?' This was a fund raiser for a home for persons who can no longer fend for themselves. I hate to say it but we will all be arriving at that stage whenever and I will be for ever grateful for a place that I could call home when in that position.
In this country one of our biggest failures is caring for young children and old people. We treat the elderly as a chore. They are a nuisance, costly and we simply do not have time for them. At least that is the position in many cases. What about the elderly who do not have immediate family to look after them, they are now left on their own. It's extremely distressing that our elderly for the most part are not looked after properly. As an MP I had proposed that in every HDC housing project the elderly are catered for by having dedicated accommodation, maybe a shared living space, or shared public space which would be managed by professionals. At least it was a start.
I had persons coming to me whose positions were untenable. One lady told me that she had to hide during the day in the apartment of her daughter because the landlord only catered for X amount of persons and if she was found out then the family might have been evicted. Having elderly people coming to you and bursting into tears is not something that I welcomed. Of course the biggest issue was 'and who is paying for the old person?'

I see the trade unions are asking people to boycott some 120 businesses. To what end may I ask? Is that one of the ways we intend to deal with a serious recession, negative growth for now ten [10] consecutive quarters. These 120 businesses employ thousands of people who depend on their jobs so that they can enjoy the same standard of living as many who are officers in the same union. Why am I even talking about this?
Unless we extricate ourselves from the 1930's socialist mode we are going no where. Trade unions have a responsibility as do business owners. Anyone who has woken up one morning and taken a decision to start a business, employing people, having to pay salaries and benefits is a person who is to be admired. They have taken the risk of losing everything, house, family, life savings. What is the problem? I have always said that unless you have the experience of having to pay salaries at the end of the month and understand that responsibility it is difficult to understand how the system works. I guess that is why not many union leaders go into business for themselves where they are employing people. Yes, there are employers who are the scum of the earth and but the majority are responsible persons who ensure that their employees are very much part of the business. You cannot just make a general statement about employers and call for a boycott not of one but of 120 businesses. Maybe we should be checking on the employment practices of the union who is calling for this boycott? How about the union bosses being chauffeured around in BMW's and Audi's? I guess one has to look the part. The current administration's silence on this issue is deafening

This is too heavy for a weekend discussion but this is where we are as a country. We are in deep trouble, we have a foreign exchange problem for the simple reason that we no longer earn the levels of USD that we used to, there is no foreign direct investment, there is no new local investment, our expenditure remains the same without the corresponding income and that people is the problem. What part of that do we not understand? The trade union movement could march until the cows come home but unless there is money available to pay workers then there is no pay, unless you do like other countries and simply print money, like Zimbabwe or Venezuela. In 2015 the Zimbabwe 100 trillion dollar note was worth $0.40US. Venezuela currency is now converted at $1.00US to 17,000 B's.

The dreaded Giant African Snail has reached Maraval, in our yard to be exact. This weekend we saw and terminated numerous young snails. Tomorrow I am off to report the sightings to the authorities as it is a notifiable pest subject to a $5000.00 fine for failing to do so. My civic duty. Can I at the same time report on the illegal squatting on the hills overlooking Moka, the illegal dump site that is now Moka and the loud music emanating from one of the squatters who just happens to have a utility connection. My MP nor my Councillor seem to be the least interested in the happenings in my district. This is a perfect example of having the Right to Recall in our Contract with the People, aka the Constitution. As a good citizen I will report the sightings of the Snail.

Our Sunday lunch table conversation can go all over, from family, to last night's happenings to current affairs. Today, current affairs and the despair the young have as far as the future of this country is concerned. It is very worrying and I keep telling the familia do not give up, we are going through a stage and its all part of a learning curve. Learning curve, for how long? How long is this stupidness going to last, this country 'gorn tru' is heard too often. What am I to say?

There is a way out of all of this, we just have to be prepared to make the changes. We have to turn the country on its head, take the bull by the horns, make good governance as part of our daily life, forget the status quo. If we can look after the young and the elderly then we are on the road to being a real nation.
One day... not to worry.

Good night and the best of luck!