Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and many of her ministers were quite high-profile during the Carnival season and many of them would wish to continue being so, notwithstanding the verbal blows they received from calypsonians during the season. But the period for easy publicity, handing out million-dollar cheques and extemporising on the spot, has now slipped out of range; nothing now will be taken without question and without insistence on economic and social programmes which have the potential for bringing relief and for turning the fortunes of the economy. Despite this, it should be understood that reconstruction is not a duty only for politicians, businessmen and others who have direct responsibility for the economy and society. The trade union movement, the churches, institutions such as ours in the Fourth Estate and every individual has a responsibility and something tangible to pursue and achieve if we are to escape what has become a famous fall from economic prosperity into decline and distress. The generations of the future will judge us based on what we do differently in these difficult times.