As we vote tomorrow, Trinidad and Tobago is in deep crisis. Runaway crime and a rundown economy threaten the nation’s stability and security, the work of Dr Keith Rowley who recently shamelessly admitted that the nation is “in great danger” after his ten wasted years as prime minister.
On crime, there is now hope. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar must be complimented for having former senior superintendent Roger Alexander on her team. If the UNC wins tomorrow, Alexander could lead the charge against the horrendous crime rate. The rescue would begin.
Roger Alexander inspires confidence with his experience and expertise. After Rowley’s disastrous national security ministers—Edmund Dillon, Stuart Young and Fitzgerald Hinds—we need someone courageous and capable.
The crime problem was there at the start of Rowley’s term. In 2015, amidst the swearing-in of his administration, I wrote: “guns blazed, bodies fell, and blood flowed in Icacos, San Fernando, Chaguanas, Laventille, Arima and Tobago. Thirty people killed in 21 days!” A prologue to the coming carnage of over 5,000 people murdered in ten years in this country of 1.3 million people, the sixth-highest crime rate in the world, higher than New York City with eight million people.
That’s the legacy of Keith Rowley, the great abdicator who blamed everyone: home, family, school, community, police, even God, as though he had no responsibility in this matter. Put to eternal shame by Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, who placed himself at the forefront of the battle, saying: “I will lead a campaign against all forms of violence to make Jamaica safe and secure.” Leadership worthy of emulation, I told Rowley, “Call Holness. Follow him.”
Holness brought together his defence and police forces under Joint Command and created Zones of Special Operations to uphold the law in a Zone; rid the area of all illegal weapons, ammunition or other contraband; empower members of the Joint Force to search without a warrant within a Zone; and establish, if necessary, a cordon and declare a curfew in the region. Under his National Security Act, Holness provided “a more coordinated framework” for all national security agencies. The result? A 22% decline in one year in murder, rape and home invasions.
But Rowley? After nine years and thousands murdered, he seemed finally stirred from his detachment when eight persons were gunned down in 24 hours, four in Belmont. He declared grandly: “the state would redouble its efforts to hunt down and disarm perpetrators and make operational adjustments so state security services can act with despatch”.
Fight-talk. But what action? Army reservists for Christmas and Carnival so people could “shop here and shop there, party here and party there”, said minister Fitzgerald Hinds with trademark triteness. To this day, in Trinidad and Tobago, people continue to be killed singly, doubly and in batches while Jamaica has the lowest crime rate in 24 years, a 40% reduction in murders in seven targeted communities, with active gangs decreased by 36%.
And the Jamaican economy expanded for the past four years while we heard “Dragon gas coming” for ten. We are paying taxes to Venezuela for gas that never came! A UNC government must steer clear of the economic mess left by Rowley and his finance minister Colm Imbert. They ignored the nation’s most urgent economic imperative of the past ten years: developing new foreign revenue streams. Indeed, Rowley found diversification an “annoying” word. Worse, in 2018, they insanely shut down our oil refinery which, as Imbert himself admitted, earned more foreign exchange than it spent. Consequently, this country used over US$7.65 billion in the last six years to purchase fuel the refinery once produced. Madness! Their disastrous legacy will make generations suffer.
“Foreign exchange is the lifeblood of this economy,” I warned. But “Deficit” Imbert delivered ten national budgets, spending and borrowing billions but producing not a single plan to improve our dwindling foreign reserves. After his tedious budget speeches of preponderant emptiness, hollow triumphalism and insufferable arrogance, I kept reminding him, “It’s the reserves, stupid.”
Today our foreign reserves are the lowest in 17 years, mainly from foreign borrowings and withdrawals from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund. This economy is on life support, people. Boosted, not by earned revenue but foreign borrowing. And worse, replenished with HSF funds! We are using savings to finance consumption, living beyond our means. Profoundly disturbing. We spend almost US$1 billion annually in imports. How long will the HSF last before we are completely bankrupt? And hungry.
And the national debt keeps mounting. For ten years, they followed Rowley’s insanity of “borrowing to maintain our lifestyle”! Borrowing for consumption rather than investment for new revenue. Additional loans to service existing ones, -US$560 million last year to repay US$550 million due this year. Debt which must be repaid in US dollars which we are not adequately earning. Placing the country on the road to bankruptcy. Both our foreign reserves and our foreign debt now stand at US$5.5 billion. When we net the reserves after external debt, what do we get? A big fat zero!
This is a broke, blood-soaked nation, people. Rescue Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow.
—Ralph Maraj