It is time that we hold those accountable for decisions that affect the lives of ordinary citizens and indeed impinge upon their rights to go about their business in an orderly and stress-free manner. Those that were involved in the Flugtag disaster on Sunday should shoulder the responsibility for the chaos and mental anguish caused by their incompetency in the staging of this event. The Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), Ultimate Events, sponsors and all those involved should apologise for the inconvenience caused and the disruption to residents' Sunday relaxation.
Solomon of the CDA was interviewed on CNC3 on Monday. His smug and self-congratulatory attitude on the success of this event flew in the face of what actually happened. He assertedthat "within the peninsula" they had everything under control and what happened "outside the peninsula" was really not their business. This, he said, was a family day outing, a "family day" that turned out to be chaotic and disruptive to hundreds of residents and non-participants in this Flugtag catastro-phe. From one newspaper article it is clear that these Flugtag events in other parts of the world have posed huge logistical problems. Surely the organisers of the local event must have been made aware of this?
Were they also not aware of St Peter's Day celebrations and the traffic problems that arise from that event? Did they not take into consideration what everyone in T&T knows-that it's one road in and out of Chaguaramas? It would be interesting to find out the cost of the clean-up after this event, which I presume the CDA pays for. Or maybe I am wrong and the marketers and sponsors pay for the removal of all the garbage, abandoned Flugtag craft, etc. It is incumbent on the relevant authorities that events of this magnitude never happen "inside the peninsula" so that those of us "outside the peninsula" never go through that nightmare of July 3 again.
Dermot Farah
Diego Martin
Via e mail
