The buzzword these days is economic recovery: how to earn or get money, find jobs, bring back visitors to the island, sustain the tourism industry, etc. There is barely any talk about sporting recovery, or reestablishment of education systems, or the stability of the health sector, nor ensuring we became more self-reliant in the future.
The first world ensures that we became the dumping ground for all their products. They sell and we buy, we give services in exchange for cash that is badly-needed to build our fortune, make it big, have a grand life style, and became successful.
Those who fall between the cracks, or lose focus, or are under-skilled, or uneducated, will have to fend for themselves; those who do not pay taxes or contribute to NIC are not being considered in the stimulus packages; self-employed persons have to fend for themselves, bus drivers and owners, shop keepers and venders all have to find their own way, and the unemployment crisis will not be the concern of the state because the whole world is in the same predicament.
As we approach another election cycle all that will be done is to ensure that certain projects are completed so that the government looks good in the eyes of the voting public. No doubt, there will be more promises, also more depending on the state, and any changes will not be in the best interest of the people. Only a few are gifted with the know-how to lead or direct the affairs of state — and any other opinion is considered fake, or misleading.
So, we go with the present or suffer the uncertainty of tomorrow. What a predicament, what a situation. There is quite a lot of doubts and a lot to ponder on and not much time to make-up your mind or assess the situation.
The arts are still at a standstill, sports is on a standstill and all the money secured in the Lock Box, or reserved otherwise, is earmarked for selective projects, so there will be no detours or redirections or deviation and what was will remain as what should be.
Can we afford not to change, or demand change? Will our yesterday be enough for our tomorrow and can our hopes and aspirations be met? Is there going to be more taxes on the horizon? Will we be able to clear our debts, or is the answer the cancelation of our debts? If there are more disasters such as a storm, hurricane, or another climate change predicament, can or will we be able to cope, or is this the beginning of the end?
All these questions I ask so that you too can put it into perspective. I am doubtful about government being able to deal with the existing problems or what may be on the horizon. I worry about the understanding of the government’s ability or inability to deal with what is really going on and I am worried about the amount of square pegs we have in round holes, the tag-alongs that contribute nothing, the modern day gold diggers.
For the sake of tomorrow, I hope that we change what is not working today, because failing to change can result in more of the consequences of failing to change down the road. As the old saying still goes, ‘A stich in time saves nine…’