Come on people of T&T. Can't you all see where we are taking this lovely republic of ours? It is time to stop putting our heads in the sand as the ostrich and pretend that Carnival is not a major problem of our land. It is the major problem and it must be stopped if we want to preserve the moral fabric of our nation.
I know that this call will raise the eyebrows of the masses. But it is better that the masses raise their eyebrows at the call by this servant of Jesus Christ than to have their ears tingle by the news of the impending destruction that will befall our nation if we do not stop this Carnival.
Carnival lovers/supporters are determined to justify Carnival. The summary of their justification hinges upon economics. Some argue that Carnival makes the income of our nation look very healthy. Tourism experiences a high in Carnival. The business sector's coffers are boosted. Unemployment is reduced. The various artiste are able to make some money.
And even so, can one really compare a so-called healthy economy with a resultant sick nation, because that is what Carnival does to our nation. It leaves our people physically and spiritually sick. The effects of the Carnival ills far outweighs the economic benefits that it brings.We have to be very careful that we do not pretend that it does not cause a sick society. For if one is sick and does not acknowledge it, one is in danger since one will not seek medical attention and will surely die.
A former MP in an article in the press relates that "revelry unites the people". This unity is a pretense for two days that is not worthy of observation. One has to look at the sickness that this pretense creates and attend to it .Revelry is a product of the flesh and it leads one to hell.
But is there really a verified economic argument to support carnival? There is need to do a statistical review to see if the benefits of Carnival outweighs the ills of Carnival. And how will one get data on the ills of Carnival, when most ills cannot be quantified. And surely no economic gain can be of more value than the moral fabric of a nation.
For certain, the economics of Carnival do not paint a healthy picture. For this Government has taken a huge amount of tax payers money and wasted it for this 2014 Carnival. And the Government is still owing a huge debt for 2013 Carnival. What a waste of the people's money! Therefore for 2014, this government began Carnival with a deficit in its management of the people's money for an unworthy event.
Rev Robert Dash,
Tableland