One of the basic requirements for the holder of the office of the President is superior accommodation where he can comfortably discharge his duties as the head of state. No one can deny this.
Sadly the situation has developed that this simple requirement has been allowed to develop into a tussle between the Opposition and the Government, in which the President is the unwilling victim of political insecurity of the Opposition and the Government's lack of procedure and detail.
The roof of the President's house collapsed in 2010 while the PNM was still in power but on its last legs. Almost five years have elapsed and we have not been able to restore the building.This is a crying indictment against the entire country that after 52 years of independence we have produced no artisan who could have effectively restored the building to its original beauty. This is a crying shame on the whole educational system.The way the whole mess has been handled indicates to me that the authorities are unable to handle anything like the provision of suitable accommodation for our President with tact and diplomacy without dragging the presidential office into odium and ridicule.
It is clear that Parliament is inhabited by a set of young inexperienced individuals who need to have lessons in the proper manner of handling simple but sensitive issues.Perhaps the President should move to his own residence in the southland and conduct the business of state from there.
Dr Clifford Ramcharan
St Augustine