Dear Editor

Many argue that politicians and their ideas are failures unless they are supported by the majority. It is as if the majority determines what is right or wrong, good or bad.

The fundamental laws that govern life are uncompromising, and have no bearing whatsoever on what the majority thinks or believes. If we all decide that we can defy gravity and fly by simply believing gravity does not exist we would still be unable to fly.

In Trinidad and Tobago, and in many other countries in the world, many prominent people make pronouncements that are sometimes irresponsible, unrealistic, and blatantly untruthful. Rather than being taken to task for their misleading comments, they become popular and, in some cases, are elected to political office.

History has taught us that there is great danger in supporting an idea, person, or pathway that is flawed but popular. For instance, it may be popular and personally beneficial to assume that a person is good or bad, intelligent or stupid, beautiful or ugly, a good politician or bad one simply because he or she is of a particular race. However, that kind of thinking has led to genocide, slavery, and other human atrocities.

The majority may agree that handouts are better than the creation of employment opportunities, that education is not important, that crime will end by simply waiting for the criminals to kill each other, and that strategic planning, discipline, and order are not as important as making lofty pronouncements and promises. But, there is enough evidence to suggest that what makes the majority comfortable is irrelevant to the realities that confront mankind.

Good politicians, people who love their country, people who are uncompromising with regards to corruption, people who care for the elderly, recognise the possibilities that exist when the many focus on the real issues and participate in the management of a nation, and that is what is needed in Trinidad and Tobago now. There is no way of getting around the fact that food production is critical for sustenance, transportation is necessary for development, health care is necessary for life, education is necessary for growth, security is necessary for development, and families are necessary to grow communities.

We either unite and work together towards building a better nation for ourselves and our families, or suffer the fate of failure and hardships. If enough of us choose freedom and social and political liberty we can change Trinidad and Tobago for the better and be that beacon of light to a world slowly descending into darkness.

Steve Alvarez

bilcoa@hotmail.com