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By Selwyn R. Cudjoe, Ph.D.
May 28, 2024
Anyone who believes that a PMN government will solve the problems of black underdevelopment, unemployment and crime in the poorer parts of the island had better think again. It is not going to happen any time soon. The elites who have taken over the party have no interest in these problems, no will to solve them and no wisdom to know the difference.
The residents of Morvante/Laventille and East Port of Spain are on the brink of ruin. Their communities are plagued by unemployment, crime and fear. Even the PNM government ministers lament about “juvenile delinquency” (Express May 21). Yet the only thing the PNM offers them is CEPEP, a program that has not solved the problem in the past 60 years. CEPEP restricts the residents’ creativity, stifles their productivity, degrades their personality and reduces them to the level of satisfying animal functions.
When asked about unemployment, Laventille East MP Adrian Leonce said: “At the end of the day, political leaders (UNC) have to score points. We are trying to address the crime problem in Trinidad and Tobago. Unfortunately, many bills that come before Parliament never receive the support of the Leader of the Opposition and his team (Express, May 19).
Laventure West MP Fitzgerald Hinds offered a philosophical view: “These (water/jobs/crime) are serious socio-economic issues that require deep reflection, discussion and facts”, while Camille Robinson-Regis preferred a prayer to a cold and unfeeling God: “Jesus, my saviour… God, we feel helpless too, help us to find those who will be our strength and support in our hour of helplessness.”
In 1996, when “our grieving leader” challenged Patrick Manning for leadership, I recommended to him William Julius Wilson’s When the Jobs Disappeared (1996). Wilson’s book explored the impact of unemployment on America’s inner cities. It became a central theme of the leader’s campaign.
Wilson argues: “The disappearance of jobs has had adverse effects not only on individuals, families and communities, but also on the social life of the city as a whole. Unemployment in the inner city is a serious problem that is often overlooked or obscured when the main focus is on poverty and its consequences…
“The consequences of a community with high unemployment are more serious than the consequences of a community with high poverty. There is a difference between a community where people are poor but have jobs and a community where people are poor but unemployed. Many of the problems of inner-city ghetto communities today—crime, family breakdown, welfare, poor social organization, and so on—are fundamentally the consequences of jobs disappearing.”
I have always believed that lack of employment opportunities is one of the main causes of crime, especially juvenile delinquency. Wilson commented: “Slum children also grow up in communities with very high unemployment rates, which leads to a series of other problems that are not conducive to the healthy development or BroadCast Unitedlectual growth of children.”
Having a job means more than just earning money. It encourages positive behaviour, normalises work habits, gives people hope for a better life and improves people’s self-esteem. It creates a more cohesive community and shows that the government cares about their welfare.
The first thing they should have done—and should continue to do—is to make every effort to get one or two companies to build factories in these communities. The byproducts of such efforts are enormous. Job opportunities in the community allow residents to develop entrepreneurial skills, entrepreneurs to appreciate the fruits of their labor, and communities to be proud of themselves.
Instead of working to resolve these issues, this “our grieving leader” travelled to Ghana to meet the king and called on Indian cricket officials to build a cricket academy on land gifted to the People’s Party headquarters in Trinidad by former Prime Minister Basdeo Pandey (The Express, 18 November 2001). It was a despicable move: from creativity to chaos.
The failure of the People’s National Movement’s criminal policies is well known. The headlines in last Sunday’s Express tell the whole story: “Kidnappings in El Dorado,” “Five shot dead in 24 hours,” “Criminals stay away from home,” “End the bloodbath.” A letter to the editor asks: “Can our children play outside freely without fear of something happening at any moment?”
Failed crime policies turn ordinary people into animals.
Morvan/Laventille and East Port of Spain remain hotbeds of crime and underdevelopment because our government does not understand the root causes of our social woes and does not particularly care about the poor. Their contempt for their citizens is demonstrated on a daily basis in what they do.
Is it time for the government to wake up from its coma?
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