Nations are built by men and women with vision and resolve. Nation-building is always a work-in-progress; it never stops because all nations are constantly facing up to new challenges. Above all, nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose and a sense of shared destiny. Nation building infers values such as fair play, equity and respect. It is a feature of modern day living in T&T - the ever present sense of injustice whenever decisions are made and implemented. The perception is that it is never about what is fair as many far reaching decisions seem not to be based on genuine consultation but on someone’s opinion and the ability to rally support. What’s the cause of our indifference and inherent propensity to be uncaring for the welfare of the most vulnerable members of our nation or those who are most negatively impacted?
Most of the time those who are at the receiving end of the decision feels disrespected and taken for granted. It’s a travesty that after five decades of independence there is a perception that our society is probably the most intolerant and political that it has ever been? In a discussion recently I was admonished for my negative views about the new traffic changes in the St James and Woodbrook areas. The suggestion was that I needed to be more open minded. Even though I fear that if I were anymore open minded my brain will fall out. The point I tried to make to the individual, who incidentally did not live in the area, was that whoever came up with the idea did not have to bear the brunt of the inconvenience. I was told that I was being simplistic and should allow progress to take place. It’s not that I have an aversion to progress and new ideas or progress, it’s the lack of fair play, respect and equity. Why are the concerns of those who pass through St James and Woodbrook more important than those who reside in the area? If you live in St James, the normal thing is to walk to the Western Main Road or Tragarete Road and take a taxi heading east and depending where you are going either drop out short or go into town. There are pensioners, young children and women who need to do simple things such as go to school, work, the St James market, grocery, pharmacy, the doctor or the drug store.
It’s about nation building; equity, fair play and respect. Do the arithmetic - more people pass through than reside in the area. Equity, fair play and respect. Even though there may have been over 30 public consultations and the priority is to have a traffic flow that makes those passing through happy. It is at the expense of the safety, comfort and convenience of those who reside in St James and Woodbrook. Unless you live in St James and Woodbrook and depend on public transport you probably will not understand. Fair play and respect are values that you learn from sport. Without fair play and respect, sport would not be sport. It would be something else. Case in point, on Sunday during the Tour de France race leader Bradley Wiggins temporarily called a halt to competitive racing after defending champion Cadel Evans was among those to suffer a puncture. Wiggins slowed the pace to allow Evans to return to the group. If we hold fair play and respect as core values, T&T would be a far better place and the quality of life and decision making would be fairer and certainly much better.
-Brian Lewis
www.guardian.co.tt