Are we now creating another set of laws in Trinidad and Tobago that look good on paper but make little sense in practice?
If persons between 18 and 21 are now being treated as too young to attend Carnival fetes where alcohol is being served, then the country needs a clear explanation of where the law begins and ends.
Can an 18-, 19-, 20- or 21-year-old legally drink alcohol in one circumstance but be prohibited from attending an event because alcohol is being served? And what happens at a wedding? If a couple under 25 gets married, are they prohibited from raising a glass of champagne to celebrate? Can a waiter under 25 legally serve them?
These questions must be answered clearly. Laws cannot operate on double standards.
What is even more troubling is that the authorities appear to be penalising the consumer while the manufacturers and importers who bring these products into the country continue to supply the market.
If alcohol and cigarettes are contributing to our foreign exchange outflow, why aren’t they being treated as a priority on the import list? Why punish the ordinary citizen while ignoring those manufacturing and importing the products?
We have seen a similar concern with illegal drugs. The small person is caught and prosecuted while the big fish behind the supply chain often seems much harder to reach. The public deserves to know whether there is one standard of enforcement for everyone.
And while we debate alcohol and Carnival, perhaps we should ask another question: WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH OUR CULTURE?
We talk proudly about Carnival, steelpan, our indigenous traditions and our history, yet institutions responsible for preserving that history struggle to survive.
If a Carnival Museum cannot continue, what exactly is the Ministry of Culture doing?
Trinidad and Tobago should have a national museum dedicated to preserving and displaying our history, indigenous heritage, Carnival, steelpan, calypso, mas and the achievements of our people.
Museums are not just buildings with old objects. They tell a country who it is.
We cannot tell the world that Carnival is one of our greatest cultural assets while allowing the institutions that preserve that culture to struggle.
The Government must decide whether it wants sensible, consistently enforced laws and whether it truly values the culture it so proudly promotes
Gordon Laughlin,
Westmoorings
