I can find no fault in the government compensating the fisherfolk in dollars from the Treasury.No amount of money can replace the loss of comfort and general ambience over the Christmas holiday suffered by each family.These one-off payments should not be begrudged. Consider how much money is spent on yearly gifts of lap tops to thousands of SEA students.
Money flowing from the Treasury in the millions to pay for "foreign experts" to visit T&T for advice on numerous missteps and mishaps has never been begrudged by the taxpayers. We are not asked, we seldom bother to ask, and the beat goes on. So why ask now?We can only hope that these massive oil leaks will be a one-off for the nation.What is really sad to contemplate is that some of the fisher folk view the oil slicks as an avenue that at last allows them to make some money for their families.
All they are asking for is a little piece of the action. Ask yourself this: How much money will the government be expending in their efforts to win the general elections of 2015?Payments made to the fisherfolk is money well spent that may or may not be repaid in votes.All who don't like the Govt compensating the fisherfolk in this small way, can, if they don't like it, get to hell out of here, as they say.
That money might be the only bit of silver lining in a life of drudgery and dwindling fish stocks and an uncertain future for the T&T fishing industry.
Lynette Joseph,
via e-mail