Dear Editor,

Thirteen years ago South Africa hosted the world. They successfully staged a very memorable Fifa World Cup. Today it is struggling with supplying basics like electricity and water.

People in the capital city now live with daily power outages lasting hours. Recently, in Hammanskraal, a township outside Pretoria, 29 people were killed by cholera that had been found in the water supply. The outbreak has been linked to substandard water purification practices caused by power supply issues.

The point is that things can degenerate quickly when ineptitude and corruption replace standards and good management practices. Trinidad and Tobago has seen the deterioration of its water management and distribution system, the failure of its justice system, and the deterioration of its roads and bridges. It’s one of the few countries in the world where the physical House of Parliament, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the House of the President all fell apart before they were repaired.

The hospitals, bungalows, recreation areas, and other infrastructure that were inherited from the companies that once owned the oil refineries and oil infrastructure have now been abandoned, with some occupied by wrongdoers and, in many cases, the rest is left to rot.

I worry when the people who are vying to replace the current crop of politicians apparently lack the management skills, the patriotism, and the competence to manage. I worry because things can fall apart very quickly. There are politicians who are so consumed with their own importance that they have absolutely no idea how to fix basic things. Instead, the levels of corruption that have led to a few being exceedingly rich while the masses fight over the crumbs seem to be the path that many seeking office wish to continue upon.

Unless the people of Trinidad and Tobago put in place officials who are serious about getting our best to fix our water problem, make us self-sufficient in basic food items, arrive at a comprehensive plan to make our communities safe, and arrive at a long-term strategy for economic growth, then we will continue to see the rapid decline of standards in our nation. Our qualified and intelligent personnel will leave the country and we will get even more comfortable with things like poor quality roads, waiting years to access justice, gunmen shooting up our neighbourhoods, and floods and other natural disasters wreaking havoc on our communities.

The old talk, the disparaging remarks, the lack of a comprehensive recovery plan, the blame game, and subliminal racial messages cannot be the basis for electing people to managerial office.

Steve Alvarez

Trinidad and Tobago

bilcoa@hotmail.com