It is disheartening to see how the situation in this country has continued to degenerate.

Over the past few days I have read various articles in local newspapers which reported some of various ways in which substantial sums of money have been paid out by the State under both the previous and current administrations.

Some of the topics included a $227 million Hilton upgrade write-off — $1 billion "wasted in poor value investments", a $143 million unauthorised spending on a Tobago complex, $305 million in legal fees paid over a five-year period, $175 million which was paid for Freeport land previously costing $5 million and $1.5 million a month for the salaries of tutors of the Divine Echoes band.

Then another article grabbed my attention: "Hinds claims racism at State companies". On that subject, however, I approve of the article entitled, "Coudray accuses PNM of racial profiling", where Minister Marlene Coudray advised the previous ruling party "to look at the history of the racial composition of their cabinets". Sometimes the very persons who broach the unpleasant subject of racism are the same ones who are found to be guilty of practising it.

It would seem to me that Trinidad and Tobago is a country rich in natural resources, talented and lively people and general all-round good citizens. However, quite a lot of poor persons live here, many waking before dawn each week to sit in horrendous traffic for hours, to go to jobs that do not pay well but demand volumes, returning home tired and sometimes depressed, to try to be of some comfort to their children and elderly kin.

The abject wastage of hard-earned taxpayers' dollars must stop! Citizens need to know that governments are not squandering away their money year after year, but using it to ensure a better quality of life for all.

Our country claims the largest natural asphalt lake in the world — we should boast of the best roads in the Caribbean.

Our hospitals must not make the front page because someone has died while waiting for urgent surgery. We should always have water running in our taps and not have to fill buckets from the river.

There should be parks and recreational facilities in all communities for our youth – it will help keep them away from crime. We can only hope from this point, that things will only get better.

R Kangalee

Via e-mail