Yesterday, T&T celebrated 40 years as a Republic and indeed, it is a time for reflection and facing the realities of life in our beloved twin-island state. How well are we doing for our future? We have come a long way and have done very well. Our democracy is strong and our institutions of state are relatively intact. In spite of the present economic challenges, we have a few dollars saved and there is the potential to develop new streams of revenue to make up for the diminishing returns from our oil and gas. Our unemployment rate is low in comparison to other countries, and basically, we enjoy an acceptable standard of life.
Unfortunately, we have some ailments in the society that endanger the quality of our social well-being, and therefore compromise the good of future generations. There is no way to disregard these carcinogens, as their potential to destroy the very fabric of our society is way too high.
As we reflect on where we have come, we must recognise that we are carrying the life-threatening disease of corruption, which has found its way into every one of our major organs. This malignancy is pervasive and has led to other cancerous conditions such as crime and violence, nepotism, impropriety in public life, racial tensions and political gimmickry.
As we look ahead, the existing conditions spell impending doom if we do not grab hold of the nemesis that is undermining our rich and resourceful human capital. We are a sovereign state and we have entrusted our governance into the hands of our leaders who must chart the course that will take us out of the present quagmire. However, the real power to change lies in our hands as citizens. We determine the way forward by our actions, attitudes and behaviour.
Our prospects are promising. We have bright, talented young people eager to make their contributions, however, it is imperative that we overhaul of our education system to produce more relevant talent for our future endeavours. Our present system is churning out a growing pool of young people vulnerable to the clutches of the diseases plaguing our land. A new prescription is required, taking into consideration the natural talent and creativity of our people and our resilience; visionary leadership with the gumption to take the bull by the horns and treat with the root causes of our problems.
We run the risk of leaving nothing for our future generation if we continue to practice greed, deception, inefficiency and low productivity. Now more than ever we need to let our creative juices flow to counteract the negative elements that confront us. Being mindful of the task at hand, we must dig deep to find the courage to stand up against the torpid influences that threaten to engulf our beautiful island. We live in a paradise of which we are justly proud. Let's ensure that we keep it that way for those to come. Life indeed begins at 40.
Garvin Cole, Tobago