Madam Prime Minister, the office of Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is very lonely. It's like a woman having a child...everyone wants you to have the baby, they enjoy playing with the baby but you alone feel the intense pain of giving birth. 

The people of Trinidad and Tobago have not been kind to our public office holders and most certainly they have not been generally fair in their assessment of those who have sacrificed their time and effort in service to Trinidad and Tobago.

Eric Williams, our first Prime Minister was respected among world leaders, his books are today being studied at universities around the world, he wrote a history of Trinidad and Tobago as an Independence gift to the people of the land he served, yet everyday there are people who continually degrade our son of the soil. 

George Chambers steered Trinidad and Tobago through extremely rough economic waters, yet he was called a dunce. Arthur N R Robinson was a Prime Minister who tried to restructure the economy of Trinidad and Tobago at a time when the country was experiencing one of its worst economic challenges yet his government was subject to a coup and a political organisation that came to service with a huge victory at the polls was defeated in humility. 

Basdeo Panday was the first person of East Indian ancestry to be Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; his government built an international airport, a desalination water plant, a new electric generating plant, many schools and bridges.  His administration established a national steel orchestra, elevated women to higher levels of service, paid respect to the Baptist community and much more. Yet today Mr Panday is among the most hated past prime ministers.

Patrick Manning made the transition from MP to PM and embarked on an ambitious plan to restructure the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. His effort to wean Trinidad and Tobago off an energy-based economy was ambitious and perhaps ought to be lauded. In spite of all his aspirations he may be as unpopular as Panday among his party and the nation at large. The point here Madam PM is that no matter how well the people close to you say you are doing, the people of Trinidad and Tobago seem to see differently. 

Be yourself, we know you are a good mother, a caring politician and a Prime Minister that loves Trinidad and Tobago. Go ahead with your conviction and chart your place in history.

Steve Alvarez

via e-mail