Impromptu holidays not the way to go

No medal for the Government for its impromptu public holiday. In fact, for its complete lack of innovation regarding public celebrations it deserves to be disqualified. August already has three public holidays. Did anybody inform the Prime Minister of this before she decided on a fourth? Surely this insensible decision could have been avoided.

My heart grieves for the many infirmed and the suffering who have had their medical appointments deferred, through no fault of their own. A postponement of one day matters a great deal. What about the many small businesses that have rent to pay? Who will help them? And what about those who have overdraft and creditor commitments and are already behind? An impromptu holiday not only sinks them into deeper debt but could send some to the hospital with cardiac arrest.

What about those who have to fork out money to pay permanent staff for the unplanned holiday? Or face a host of other challenges that usually accompany the loss of a day’s trade. The US won the most medals at the Olympics, a feat it has achieved many times, but did it get even one public holiday? What if T&T wins two gold medals at the next Olympics, would we get two public holidays?

In the end, it is not so much that a public holiday was given, but four in the same month? The decision was hasty, impulsive and unpremeditated. Had the Government instead openly declared that August already had three holidays and that the Olympic holiday would be given in September, I do not think there would have been much dissent. We would have gotten more time to prepare and to celebrate the holiday with more pomp and fanfare. And the stress that arose out of this whimsical announcement would have been mitigated. Impromptu public holidays are not the way to go.

Jameel Ali
Marabella