Dear Editor,

Different cultures and religions are engaged in some kind of renewal — the spirit of spring.

In Trinidad and Tobago many celebrated Easter and some are into fasting, looking forward to Eid celebrations. Cleaning up and entering a new place is not only refreshing but also energises the soul.

Almost everyone I spoke to this holiday weekend was hoping for an end to the senseless murders as well as the feeling of hopelessness in politics, and is looking forward to a new day. A rebirth in our country.

We have the finances, the manpower, the equipment, and the ability to fix Trinidad and Tobago. We can alleviate flooding by clearing our waterways and constructing catchment basins in areas that are prone to flooding. We can restructure our economy by major investments in tourism and agriculture. We can tremendously reduce criminal activities in our communities by strategically investing in sporting competitions, cultural activities, and encouraging entrepreneurship.

We can stop punitive actions of law enforcement officers seeking to entrap drivers in areas like exit ramps and very low speed roadways like the Western Main Road where the speed limit is 50kph. This kind of targeting of citizens for what can only be described as cruel and unnecessary punishment in harsh economic conditions must end.

Setting property tax rates without a logical and clear system of evaluation can only be described as unfair to the average citizen. Add to that the ridiculous demerit system that assigns points for non-moving violations, like parking, and it seems as if the goal is to make citizens unhappy.

This is a time for renewal, for house cleaning. There must be an end to safe voting seats that are based solely on race. The leaders who continue to demonstrate high levels of arrogance and narcissism buoyed by the comfort that they represent a certain sector of our society must end.

We must say to our leaders in very clear terms that our support is contingent on ability, patriotism, vision, care for the society, and a dedication to make Trinidad and Tobago a comfortable haven for all our citizens.

There is a belief that we need more than TT$50 billion annually to run this country. That is not so. The millions spent on national security can be drastically reduced if we were to restructure our security infrastructure and offer viable alternatives to criminal activities. The same can be said for education, health care, and the other major areas of expenditure. By simply restructuring how monies are spent in our ministries we can save the millions that end up in the hands of financiers rather than benefiting taxpayers.

So much is possible, but it must start with looking beyond the two major political parties that believe they own our votes. We must end this era of blind loyalty and hope again.

God bless our nation!

Steve Alvarez

Trinidad and Tobago

bilcoa@hotmail.com