By: PETER O’CONNOR
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Too late now to cancel it or to change it. We are in—or should I say—on the Summit. As we escape this weekend to our various Easter Holiday spots, we will all return to a week which will see a different Trinidad and Tobago than usual. Well, while life in Mayaro, Cedros or Charlotteville might remain relatively unscathed by the coming Summit of the Americas, certainly Port-of-Spain and between Piarco and the City will be changed. And changed both in appearance and in the way we are allowed to live in these areas.
How do we really feel about the Summit, the changes, the inconveniences, and the benefits which we are told will accrue to the country?
While I have been critical of the government leading up to this event, I cannot really complain—and neither should you—that we are having a sudden “spring-cleaning” immediately prior to the arrival of the “Americas” in our house.
All of us, including those who keep our homes and yards clean and sanitary (and this certainly does not apply to “outside” our homes—like roads, parks, beaches, schools , hospitals, public toilets, etc) will do an extra “tidy up” if foreign guests are coming to stay. But when our guests have gone, almost none of us will dump the leftovers outside the kitchen window, or scatter the food containers all over the yard.
So when we all write to the papers complaining that we are sprucing up the country “for Obama”, we are being a bit hypocritical.
I, as a concerned citizen and critic, want to feel proud of how we look and behave when all of these important guests and their macco-ing media visit us. But the truth is that we should be doing most of this “for ourselves”, because we should not be living in the filth around us, and we should not have vagrants spread out on all our pavements, and our city should not stink of stale urine.
I want to feel proud all of the time—before they come and after they have gone. But it is not in our nature to be clean, tidy and hygienic—far less law abiding.
In 1987, when the NAR first came into power, we had a National Clean Up Day. Everyone subscribed — as individuals around their homes, and as groups in their communities.
The country sparkled more than it will for Obama. But what happened? Nothing, of course, we immediately went back to our nasty ways, spreading garbage in our streets, on our beaches and in our pristine rivers and waterfalls. What a pity the government is not using this occasion to encourage the whole country to clean and tidy itself—even those areas which Obama will not see. Incidentally, macco-ing media may well go in search of the dirt we are simply sweeping under the rug of Obama’s room.
But, apart from the tidy-up of the areas the delegates will see, what else might happen? Well certainly our hotels, restaurants, and local tour operators should do very well, as they deserve. But what plan is there to attract any of these visitors back to TT on vacation or on business? My opinion—none! A hope, maybe, but no plan, no specific invitation, no enticement. Have we any plans to “keep” some here for a few extra days—to visit Tobago, or the turtles at Grande Riviere, or the birds at Asa Wright?
And what of our behaviour? Apart from the authorities begging the Community Leaders to “ease up on the killings nuh”, how are the rest of us going to comport ourselves? My advice: do not create challenges and problems. Get out of town and stay in Grande Riviere or Asa Wright. You will enjoy the experience.
You want to mount a protest? By all means protest against the exclusion of Cuba, the tragedy of Haiti, or the world economic order. Please do not protest about conditions in Beetham—send your video to Manning and to local TV stations instead.
You have problems with Manning and the government? Protest here when Obama has gone, or before he comes. If you do not have the commitment to protest about what is wrong in TT any day of the week, then do not go and mamaguy yourself in front of CNN about local issues which you did not raise “in your own house”.
I, for one, will be calling upon the Ministers of Trade and of Tourism, to identify the great benefits we have been promised, and to put a time line on when these will accrue.
Stand proudly on our summit—make our children proud of this time. We will deal with our problems when we step back down.
