Backtrack to a year ago and no one, especially in our region, would have predicted, or imagined, that the present would be as is.
Our government had no idea that there would be such a drastic shortfall of revenue in the coffers and teachers, students and families had no idea there would be such a drastic turn in our children’s educational lives.
Many who had a secure job had no insight into the times to come and those who worked from hand to mouth had no idea that hard days were ahead. In fact, all seemed normal and regular — and without warning, all our lives have changed into uncertainty.
Sadly enough, there is no one or nowhere to turn to, not even prayers changing anything. We are now at Life’s mercy and hoping and praying instead that the State can play a part in securing our lives and livelihoods. But it is quite clear that the State was caught with its pants down — and unprepared.
Some government ministers and spokespersons continue to behave like we have everything under control, but the sad thing is the timing is wrong and efforts to handle the country’s stability and the people’s needs have become a massive task that is now seeming to assume impossible proportions to handle.
Nothing is worse than being unprepared and the extremely bright future painted for our citizens is starting to blur before our very eyes.
All the borrowings, secured loans, grants and the compulsive taxes and fines may be working well somewhere, but this unexpected climate is surely taking its toll on the Government, and the Opposition is also afraid to make promises they may not be able to fulfill and are forced to tread cautiously.
The situation is grim and there are no clear-cut solutions but if you are at the helm, or aspire to be, you always have to come straight with the people, which is a quality that most political representatives have difficulty in dealing with.
We all know that dishonesty abounds, but to chart a new course, sincerity must prevail. I, for one, do not envy the job they have to do, but our leaders proving their worth in this time is what is needed.
No amount of promises will cut it. Cheap talk is still a way to give hope to followers, but they are not the only ones in need. You can’t continue to divide and rule. The whole country has to be unified — and that makes the task at hand twice as hard.
Now is the time to bail-out or endure, because people will hold you to promises and anything short of delivering will not cut it. Now is the time for our leaders to show what they are really made of and in the coming months and years will, once and for all, reveal true qualities.
So, like the calypso says, ‘Now is the Time’ – and in the meantime, I wait and look and hope I live through this era, to write more about this moment in time in our history.