Rights and wrongs of smelter construction

Today's Editorial
Published: 12 Jun 2009
http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/editorial/2009/06/12/rights-and-wrongs-smelter-construction

Prime Minister Patrick Manning is correct in saying that the Government has to press ahead with the best utilisation of the mineral and other resources of the country to give citizens a better quality of life. In fact, the talk about adding value to basic raw materials has gone on for decades without fulfillment. He, however, does not have the right to be as dismissive as he was in La Brea of citizens who are protesting the construction of the smelter plant. Neither does the Prime Minister have the right to say that citizens of this country, wherever they reside and whatever their environmental concerns, should be quiet about what they believe to be environmental and health hazards posed by the industrial plants to be constructed.

Whether citizens reside in Toco, Cedros, Carenage or Central Trinidad they have every right to be concerned about developments in this country. Moreso when those developments utilise the patrimony of the nation and seek to make fundamental changes to the development paradigm of Trinidad and Tobago. Expressions of concern by citizens are even more justified in the absence of solid, scientific information about the possible health dangers from the emissions from the planned plants. It was Housing Minister, Emily Dick-Forde, who admitted on Monday that Government had failed to communicate the stringent environmental measures it had to undertake which she said has resulted in misinformation in the public about the health dangers of the smelter.

But the issues surrounding the protests in La Brea and the planned industrialisation are complex and deep rooted. The fact is the entire western peninsula has been one of the most economically depressed parts of this country. The reality is that this is so notwithstanding the fact that the villages and towns of that area have been close to the development of T&T’s energy. Decades of exploration, drilling and refining operations in that part of the country have left the villages among the most economically depressed and socially backward parts of the country. And there has been nothing that has been said or planned so far which has indicated that this round of industrialisation will reach down to the real needs of citizens in that part of the country for quality schools, health facilities and basic necessities such as water.

It is fine for the CEO of the German company MAN Ferrostaal and Prime Minister Manning to talk about 800 jobs being available during the construction of the generating plant. But how many people from the area have the skills set to take on those jobs? One suspects that the jobs people in the area will get are those at the lowest end of construction project, and this is because they have not had the benefit of education and professional training required to work in the industrial plants being constructed. It is also true that not all of La Brea is protesting the construction of the smelter plant. For sure, many supported the construction of the smelter plant as they saw it as an opportunity to secure jobs to be able to care for their families. It is not too late for the Government to put in place the training and educational opportunities to ensure that the people in the area acquire the skills necessary to work on the construction site and in the power plant and aluminium smelter which are coming to their community.

Concerns about arrangements to relocate those in the community who live too close to the footprint of the smelter should be easier to arrange given the large number of state-subsidised houses which have been constructed in the last decade and the capacity of the construction sector to build houses quickly. While the adoption of policies aimed at diversifying this country’s revenue stream is the appropriate course, the Prime Minister and his Government need to listen and respond appropriately to the fundamental development concerns of the citizens of La Brea and the surrounding areas.