In his keynote address at the IMF High Level Caribbean Forum at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, recently, Massy Holdings CEO Gervase Warner expressed the view that the current economic and social circumstances are a blessing in disguise and the wake up call the Caribbean needs at this time.
Warner further made the point that no meaningful lasting change could take place without a clearly defined vision and purpose—”transformation requires vision and purpose. Do we have one?....”
Warner also made an important statement when he said: “Our kids deserve better. We all have a responsibility to build a better future for the generations to come. Can we honestly say that we are doing that or are we kicking the can down the road because there are just too many things in the too hard box?”
Warner, an avid cycling and fitness enthusiast, could well have been speaking to sport leaders and stakeholders in T&T and the Caribbean.
His presentation entitled ‘The Gift of the Current Challenges Facing Our Region’ should be compulsory reading. T&T is at a critical period. Crime is at an intolerable level with the criminals as brazen as ever.
The breakdown of trust in institutions is almost beyond repair. Everything and everyone is perceived as having a price. Government and state enterprise and special purpose companies are percevied as mere banks and ATM machines.
Twenty-first century T&T is in a mortal battle. Good sense is hanging on by a thread. There is no in between nothing seems to make sense anymore. It’s total mayhem.
Who to believe?
Who to trust?
Even if you say God, there are those who will counter and say God helps those who help themselves. Cynics will say that’s exactly what is happening....fix yourself every body fixing themselves. Hopelessness is fueled by the belief that leaders are either hapless and overwhelmed or corrupt.
Which brings us back to Gervase Warner’s point about having a vision and a purpose if transformation is to happen.
T&T is laden with potential and talent—an ocean of creativity and innovation. Why aren’t we using our strengths to transform our country? Instead we seem to be hellbent on self destructing.
How can we put a stop to the madness and craziness?
Sport in T&T, like all else on plantation T&T, is at a critical period. Transformation is needed. Twenty-first century T&T must move away from the dinosaur era. It is not what we do or do not do, it is how we think that will make the difference.
Transformation! Without it there will be huge consequences for our country. We live in a time of unprecedented change. Everything is influx. To meet these challenges we must restore trust and respect for leaders and institutions.
But that restoration can’t happen unless leaders are prepared to serve the greater good. The needs of the people of T&T are changing. What they want most is trusted leaders who can create a better present and a brighter future.
Regardless of the turnoil and challenges and how far we think our country has fallen, we must not lose faith in T&T. Let us work together to create the society we want.
We must remain steadfast in our anticipation of victory.