Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 08/Jan 03:18

Small island, big promises

WE LIVE in a world where politicians will say anything to get into office and then, once elected, do the opposite. So, it’s tempting to dismiss plans outlined by the TPP and the PNM ahead of next Monday's THA election as pie in the sky. Digitising all of Tobago by 2035? Creating 7,000 jobs? The island can’t even fix its never-ending ferry problems (another “new” vessel procured by Nidco is coming this month), why should we expect Farley Augustine and Ancil Dennis to deliver on such bold promises? Yet, there’s something worthy in the plans both have released as the island prepares to vote. They contain seeds of hope for a better politics; one dominated by issues and not personalities, substance and not tribal culture wars. Plans are plans. Unless results match, they don’t matter. And it’s easy, while not in power, to have great ideas; it’s another thing to enter office and confront the quagmire of implementation. Governance is never easy. Political will alone cannot work miracles. Yet, this is a nation fond of leaders with a vision. Basdeo Panday promised a new international airport. Patrick Manning’s Vision 2020 development roadmap is remembered to this day. Both achieved much, but both left much unachieved. The year 2020 came and is long gone, but few citizens feel they are living in a “developed” nation. What these two prime ministers left unfinished, Kamla Persad-Bissessar now seeks to realise, if not supersede, with her recently launched Revitalisation Blueprint, which promises to unleash 129 projects and unlock 50,000 jobs. Less grand is the scale of Mr Augustine’s strategic proposals. But not any less daring. In fact, in some ways, the chief secretary’s vision exceeds anything any Trinidadian politician might have to offer. [caption id="attachment_1200846" align="alignnone" width="1024"] PNM Tobago Council leader Ancil Dennis -[/caption] A minimum take-home pay of $5,500 by 2027; mandatory five-year contracts for “ten-days” workers; GDP per capita of US$20,000; tourism revenues amounting to eight per cent of the island’s economy by 2035; a total of 1,500 new rooms in five- and four-star hotels. These are audacious things to pledge for sure, especially since Mr Augustine cannot even tell us how much Scarborough Carnival will cost this year. “Desperation,” that’s how Kelvon Morris, the PNM’s minority leader in the assembly, characterises Mr Augustine’s effort to woo voters. However, the PNM’s “Big Bold Red Deal” similarly features eye-catching, utopian plans like a “modern Scarborough Cruise-ship Village,” to a “state-of-the-art marina” and a new boardwalk at Charlotteville. “Get ready for the revolution,” the document pipes. If only. Yet, in offering these big dreams, the parties remind us to hope against hope. They’ve served voters, already with much on their minds, even more food for thought ahead of Monday.   The post Small island, big promises appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.