By Steve Alvarez
Trinidad & Tobago has degenerated into a place where it is reported that a leader called it a dump. The parks are unkept, the fountains that were part of the initial design either do not work or were discarded. The roads are filled with potholes and depression, garbage is almost everywhere and rats roam many communities, growing into huge rodents. The young people are living on their phones, oblivious to the world that surrounds them, and politics has been reduced to a popularity contest rather than a test of competence.
Through this ugly picture, I see hope. Where one sees our youth joining gangs and committing crime, I envisage our young people joining community clubs playing cricket, football, basketball, tennis, netball, and other sports in modern world class facilities built by the State. Where there are potholes, I see newly paved roads monitored and restored after any depression or utility repair. I see our parks restored to their full beauty, with beautiful iron rails and ornamental gates. New park benches, water fountains and a covered stage for community performances.
I see the Caroni Bird Sanctuary with new clean beautiful boats, with well dressed guides, and electric engines keeping the environment clean and free from pollution. I see a secured car park and a gift shop and restaurant, modern toilet facilities, and attractive signage. I see the Queen’s Park Savannah having all the rails repaired and the openings to the savannah controlled by beautiful gates that complement the rails. I see the fields outfitted for football, cricket, baseball, hockey, and rugby. I see designated areas for parking, areas for family picnics, and a green space that is one of the most attractive in the world.
I see communities where the people can access free internet services in community centres, outfitted with indoor sporting facilities like table tennis and card games. I see an auditorium with appropriate lighting so that community concerts can be staged there. I see pan yards sponsored by members of the business community where the children can play and prepare for musical competition. A place with proper toilet facilities, and food outlets.
I see our parliament with immaculately dressed representatives, engaging in respectable, intelligent debates, constantly seeking ways to improve the quality of life for their constituents.
Moreover, I see a well-respected, professional police service, on patrol in every community and an incredibly supportive judicial system that brings matters to a close well within three years maximum.
I see water distributed evenly through gravity and ensuring that every home in this small seventy by forty-mile rock has access to water every day of every week throughout the year. I see a well-prepared disaster preparedness management, with modern warning systems for hurricanes and flood and a rapid response structure for dealing with disasters like earthquakes. I see a people living together, loving each other, one people under one flag, making their creator proud. Can you see it?
God Bless Our Nation.
