Bring on the 'small hits'

June 23, 2004

It is a fact that people are rankled deeply when they are constantly bombarded by news releases and news clips about huge mega projects and the expending of huge sums of money that heighten their expectations but somehow never seem to make a difference to their daily lives and existence.

Every year budgets are presented in which they are told, for example, that Government expects to collect through various streams of income and revenue some $20-22 billion, most of which comes from the gas and oil sector.

And likewise, on the expenditure side, they are provided with a list of the sums that are earmarked to be expended via the numerous ministries in areas such as national security, education and educational facilities, health, community development, sports, culture other social amenities, infrastructure and capital works.

Coupled with this, the people's expectations are also boosted by all the information released about the size of foreign direct investments, spearheaded particularly by US-based multinational corporations that inject as much as US$6-8 billion, over three-four-year periods, into high-tech deep-sea explorations for gas and oil off the coast of T&T.

In fact it has now become customary for our politicians to highlight such huge investment portfolios as evidence of the confidence that international investors have in the social stability and future of T&T's economy. Much has been pinned on T&T being the major, if not the only, supplier of natural gas to the US. Having such a secured market has been and continues to be the key to the raison d'être of allowing a third and a fourth and possibly a fifth and a sixth LNG train in Point Fortin.

Even more interesting and enticing has been the announcement by PM Manning of his government's intention to, as he says, "participate at every stage of the value chain."

He indicated that T&T as a source of the LNG must seek "...a share in the tanks that transport the gas to the US, ...a share in the regasification terminals that are used to put the gas on-shore..., a share in the pipelines on-shore that transport the gas from the regasification terminals to the market terminals all over the eastern seaboard of the US..."

And the country listens to these words and wishes Mr Manning and his government all the best in the negotiations to secure shares in the added value that emanates from our natural resources and for the country's greater say in the decision-making processes along this value-chain. I for one have always agitated for such a vision.

When I edited OWTU's newspaper, the Vanguard, in the period 1978-1983, I always argued that rather than concentrate on the wage, the price of labour, the concentration should be on controlling and determining what happens with the product of labour, ie the barrel of oil, and its marketing. Not many of the union members understood then, but I can see now that we are getting there, slowly but surely.

However, in the meantime, hearing Mr Manning's stated intention to deal with the value-added chain, and hearing and sensing the arrival of another imminent economic boom, people's expectations have risen sharply.

Wage and salary demands will rise. A lot will depend and how well the Government is able to paint the bigger picture and the grander context.

How does one reconcile in one's mind the huge revenues and expenditures projected with:

The fact that children are still dying in hospitals due to lack of care and the unavailability of certain facilities.

The fact that traffic jams on the way to Port-of-Spain on mornings are unbearable and that no new roads have been built here since Williams, and that all that has been done in recent years is the paving and repaving of old roadway.

The fact that there are still so many squatters and so many homeless.

The fact that implementation and maintenance are still the country's biggest failings.

The fact that schools still stand in need of teachers and essential teaching tools.

The fact that local government agencies are still unable to collect garbage efficiently, clear clogged drains, build needed bridges and so on.

The point is that much of Government's expenditure covers salaries, emoluments and other administrative costs, while lesser percentages are actually utilised to facilitate the needed expansion of amenities.

The mega projects listed under capital works are necessary but so too are the "small hits" that:

Touch people in a very real way.

Serve to remove their despair.

Fill their stomachs.

Make them more inclined to be passionate yet patient while awaiting the effects of mega-projects to kick in.

Brighten up their lives and the lives of their children.

More than all else, rekindle their hopes in the future.

Bring on the small hits!