Life in Trinidad and Tobago is no walk in the park. What sort of life can anyone truly have when they are forced to live in a state of constant fear of crime, corruption and economic turmoil.
This “sweet” island paradise was once a land filled with culture, exquisite natural wonders, as well as a booming oil and gas industry which provided a luxurious economic benefit to the country allowing for many opportunities such as jobs, education and business investments. Now the place which I just described existed a few years ago. Don’t get me wrong, there were many problems which occurred since this beautiful country gained independence but since we’ve entered the 21st century Trinidad and Tobago has seen these problems escalate, causing us to arrive at the situations we are in today.
As I fast forward to 2017, we have evolved from this “sweet” island paradise to a land of terror. With hundreds of murders occurring yearly, robberies occurring on a daily basis, escalating gang warfare, cuts to many social programs, difficulties in obtaining employment not forgetting the rising costs of living. I would continue outlining the many problems but I’m going to stop here are this list goes on and on. The primary conclusion that I could arrive at regarding why we are in the situations we find ourselves in revolves around crime, corruption, lack of proper governance and the lack of empathy by many of the citizens of this country.
I’ve spent my entire life growing up in a country in which I have a love hate relationship with. As I have always made known when I was six years old in the year 2000, I was made to witness the brutal murder of my father. Since then my mother raised me as a single parent working two jobs to ensure I had everything I needed. After the passing of my father, we’ve had our home burglarized on one occasion, we were made victims to a home invasion and we’ve had other close calls regarding criminal elements which plague this country. Every time I hear on the news of another murder, another robbery, or another crime being committed I can’t help but get angered as deep down I know that these crimes are most likely never going to be solved and countless persons will never receive justice. This I talk of from experience as I have not once received justice for any crime committed against my family and myself.
It seems as though criminals throughout T&T receive a free pass as there is no enthusiasm and no perseverance from the authorities and the government to combat crime.
Moving away from crime, lets talk about the economy. For the last couple of years due to the decrease in oil and gas prices the petrochemical sector (which the country is majorly dependent on) has taken a very hard hit. This has led to a lot of changes in both the private and public sector, not forgetting changes regarding government policies and implementation of harsh taxation policies which impacted citizens severely. Imagine an instance where if you would like to purchase an item on the internet which you either can’t buy in Trinidad and Tobago because it’s either not available or the prices are simply so high that you can’t afford it, there is an online purchasing tax. Since the hit of the recession little effort has been made to try and diversify our economy, or sorting opportunities for gaining revenue or enabling a solution to combat the crisis regarding obtaining foreign exchange. FYI, if you didn’t already know it is essentially impossible to obtain foreign currency at any financial institution no matter the value needed. This has led to many individuals resorting to purchasing foreign currency on the black market at extravagant rates.
How is it, that while many citizens struggle to get by, our politicians go into the parliamentary chambers every week and could on a very rare occasion work together at bringing forth progress for our nation? I guess it is because at the end of the day these same politicians can drive home to their mansions, in their luxurious and expensive cars at the expense of tax payers.
Many times I say to myself I must make an attempt at leaving Trinidad and Tobago and start a new life in another country. But then I reply to myself, that would solve nothing for the country I love. Now again as I see no possible change in sight, no signs of any improvements being made in the country, I ask myself again, should I make preparations to leave and start a new life. My answer now is simply I don’t know. What is keeping me in Trinidad and Tobago? It’s no longer for love of country but for love of family? How can I leave my mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and the rest of my extended family in this country? How could I abandon them? My reasons for staying in Trinidad and Tobago revolves around my love for family. But with that love comes the question what about my love for myself? Is there really any opportunity at a happy life for me here? How can I stay here? Should I stay here? How do I love a country that doesn’t love me back?