Learn from Caribbean aluminium ‘friends’

Published: 11 Jun 2009
http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/letters/2009/06/11/learn-caribbean-aluminium-friends

I am not as intelligent as most of our leaders, hence I am seeking some guidance, for the sake of my children, the children of my neighbours, and, in general, the children of T&T.

My Prime Minister is hell bent on building an aluminium smelter, in spite of the protests from the people who elected him. Maybe the protesters are not as intelligent as he is. The reason for his insistence is not clear, and this by itself leaves room for lots of speculation. Recently, Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica, mentioned that three of the four aluminium companies operating in Jamaica have closed shop. This after losing in business in excess of 40 years. I wonder if these companies closed due to lack of foresight and vision, as our PM is showing?

Are we interacting with our Caricom partners, more so in these times, or are we playing a game of one-upmanship? Right next door in Suriname, BHP closed its huge alumina project. Why? I know for a fact that the Surinamese people protested about the negative environmental impact of such a plant, and the Government responded positively. Maybe they are not as intelligent as our visionaries here in T&T.

Are we speaking with the doctors in Jamaican hospitals who talk repeatedly of patients living adjacent and downwind of various bauxite plants? They are continuously receiving patients with strange symptoms, all of which have so far been incurable. Before the self-proclaimed father of the nation appoints himself to the post of godfather of the Caribbean, why can’t he speak to his Caricom brothers and learn? Our people are being arrested for seeking their rights. They are being uprooted and relocated, maybe all in the sake of justifiable vote padding.

What is amusing is the humorous references, maybe as a red herring, to the “first class tourist facility at Vessigny.” This insult alone shows that our ministers have absolutely no clue as to what a proper beach facility is. One only has to travel to Point Lisas and see the extent of pollution created by Ispat to get an idea of what would occur to the La Brea environs. Suriname is not as financially well-off as T&T, but the Government saw the wisdom, for the sake of the environment and the people, to boot out BHP.
Surely La Brea, and by extension T&T, deserves much better.

Yusuf Codrington
Mayaro